08/24/2026
Some people leave a legacy. Others leave a vision that continues to grow, inspire and change lives long after they are gone.
For Agape Youth & Family Center, that person is Rev. Dr. Joanna M. Adams. While serving as senior pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church, Joanna had a simple but powerful idea: if the church wanted to make a difference in the community, its members needed to do more than write checks. They needed to show up, build relationships and serve.
Joanna looked beyond the walls of Trinity and toward the nearby Bolton Road community, where she saw an opportunity to connect members of the congregation directly with children, families and senior citizens. Her vision brought together members of Trinity and other faith and community organizations, and Agape was born
In 1997, we began as a one-day-a-week after-school program serving 25 children, along with a program for senior citizens. During Agape's Ribbon Cutting Ceremony in 2018, CEO Nell Benn reflected on those humble beginnings: “When Trinity set down their roots in 1997 in the Bolton Road Community, they had one goal in mid: to end the cycle of generational poverty.”
That purpose has guided Agape for nearly three decades. Joanna understood something that remains at the heart of our work today: investing in one child can change the trajectory of generations.
Joanna didn’t simply envision Agape and walk away. She remained deeply connected to the organization, serving on Agape's Advisory Council and continuing to champion the work as the small outreach ministry she imagined grew into a community center serving hundreds of children, families and senior citizens.
Each time we enter Agape's building, the Joanna M. Adams Building, a 35,000 square foot facility, we are reminded of where it all began—with a woman who believed faith should be put into action and that lives could change when a community was willing to show up for one another.
Agape would not be here today without Joanna and we will be eternally grateful for Joanna's life. We will continue to carry that vision forward—one child, one family, and one community at a time.
