by Karen Topakian
That’s how long I’ve gladly served as the Executive Director of the Agape Foundation. And what a long, strange trip it’s been!
When I began in 1993, I printed our documents on a jarringly loud daisy wheel printer. Now, we post to our blog.
When I began, I worked three days a week, alone in a small one-room office. Now, we have two employees, one of whom is full-time, who work in a four-room suite that includes a large, sunny conference room.
When I began, Agape’s annual budget was $185,000. In 2008, it was $818,000.
When I began, Agape’s largest grant was $1,500. Now, it’s $5,000.
Many things about the Foundation may have changed, but one remains constant. Agape’s commitment to funding grassroots, nonviolent, social change organizations.
In 1993, Agape awarded a grant to Lesbians and Gays Against Intervention for their counter-recruitment and anti-draft work amongst lesbian and gay youth. In 2008, Agape awarded a grant to BAY-Peace for their counter-military recruitment work focusing on working class students of color.
In 1993, when Agape awarded a grant to the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission for outreach to the Spanish-speaking community on the oppression of gender and sexual minorities around the world, their budget was less than $100,000. Today, their budget exceeds $1.5 million.
In 1993, Agape awarded a grant to Western States Legal Foundation to support their campaign against environmental threats posed by nuclear programs and coordination of the defense of nonviolent protestors. This week, President Obama announced that he would immediately seek U.S. ratification of a ban on nuclear testing and convene a summit in Washington to stop the spread of nuclear material within four years.
In 1993, Livermore Conversion Project was accepted into Agape’s Fiscal Sponsorship Program so that they could receive charitable donations for their work converting Lawrence Livermore Nuclear Weapons Lab to peaceful purposes. Today, Agape proudly continues to provide them with fiscal sponsorship.
In many ways, very little has changed about this 40-year old organization that has nurtured, supported and funded hundreds of grassroots peace and justice organizations committed to social change, except now someone else will be its leader. Because on March 31, 2009, Cesar Chavez’s birthday, my tenure at Agape ended.
Thankfully, the new leader is Eileen Hansen, who arrives with the skills, commitment and temperament to ensure Agape’s success. As the Interim Executive Director, Eileen will work with the Board of Trustees and Nina Dessart, the Administrative Director, to prepare Agape for its next journey.
Thank you for making my years as Agape’s Executive Director an honor and a pleasure.