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volunteers

Volunteer Spotlight- Bern & Kathy

July 29, 2015

Each night of the week there are familiar casts of characters hurrying around the barn and each Thursday, you’ll find Bern and Kathy Lytle in the barn.  These two can be found doing anything and everything that needs to be done.  From grooming horses, to sweeping the barn and cleaning out stalls, to side walking with riders or leading horses during class.  If it needs to be done, Bern and Kathy will tackle the job head-on.  Their dedication to Agape programs is abundant. The Lytles moved here in 2013.  Retirement and wanting to be closer to their family brought Bern and Kathy

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How to trust when you don’t understand

July 24, 2015

Today is actually a special day to me as I have had the incredible privilege of leading Agape for 3 years now. Through the ups and the downs, I am deeply passionate about what we do and overwhelmed with gratitude for this wonderful community that loves fiercely and hopes abundantly. I realize that it this post may not be proper etiquette for an Executive Director to write; however, as I am reflecting on the past 3 years, and 2015 so far, I believe that etiquette can take a quiet back seat for a brief moment. So let me just tell

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Gypsy Dreamin’

June 19, 2015

Did you know Agape is competing to win one of 10 Gypsy Vanner horses?  LexLin Gypsy Ranch, based in eastern Tennessee, has partnered with PATH International to provide 10 Gypsy horses to 10 PATH centers around the country through their Gypsy Gift program.  Much to our excitement, Agape was nominated and selected to compete! The LexLin Gypsy Ranch page describes Gypsy horses as follows: “For hundreds of years, nomadic people known as Gypsies have traveled the roads of the United Kingdom in beautifully carved and decorated living wagons.  To maintain this wandering way of life, they created an extraordinary breed

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Picture Perfect

May 12, 2015

The morning was beautiful.  Volunteers were buzzing around the barn, braiding the horses’ manes and tails with ribbons and giving them glitter hearts on their hips.  The finishing touches were being put on the arena and observation room, Hopalong Cassidy had arrived,things were just falling into place and the weather!  Put simply, it was heaven-sent. The Mane Event was off to a great start!  As the morning went on, the horses were tacked and warmed up in the arena as students and their families were filing in and the “parking lot” pasture was filling up.  It was going to be

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Love & Grace at Agape

September 8, 2014

In 2013, Agape served 1,401 riders.  As of the end of July, just halfway through 2014, we served over 1,566 riders and gave 3,687 lessons! WOW!! Expanding to Bradford Woods has been a HUGE success.  We had a crazy busy summer, but it was amazing and recently we took a moment to remember what we do and why. On August 22nd, nearly 100 people came out to Agape South at Bradford woods to eat, play games, watch lessons, and most importantly, take a moment to enjoy and relax.  Volunteer, Bern Lytle, did an amazing job leading us in prayer and reminding us

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A Par for the Horse Hole-in-One

June 24, 2014

I know exactly what you are thinking. It’s that question that keeps you up at night. That question that no matter how many sheep you count seems to always be on your mind. You know…that question of what do you get when you combine 22 sponsors, 30 amazing volunteers, and 100 golfers? The answer isn’t exactly clear until you experience Agape’s annual Par for the Horse golf outing for yourself! This year, Agape’s annual Par for the Horse golf outing was June 6th, a day that turned out to be one of the prettiest days of summer so far. With generosity and kindness

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The Impact of Being Impactful

April 1, 2014

We all have places, people, and events in our life that impact us.  These people, places, and events don’t just impact us for a moment but they impact us for a lifetime and become a part of us.  They affect who we are and why we do the things we do, and they even support and keep us going at our most difficult moments. At Agape, we strive to make an impact on everyone who comes our way: the riders, volunteers, staff, donors and even visitors just passing through.  This impact is created by everyone involved at Agape working together

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What news did you miss if you missed Volunteer Appreciation Day?

February 25, 2014

Agape held our annual Volunteer Appreciation Day on February, March 8th.  We invited over 200 volunteers to attend our event to honor the generous donation of time they have given Agape in 2013.  All of our volunteers are important to our program, and 6 volunteers walked away with an award in hand for showing outstanding dedication (not pictured below is Danny Keough our 2013 Male Volunteer of the Year). After lunch and a wonderful presentation from our volunteer drill team, Agape started a new tradition.  Instead of having our staff vote on the horse of the year, we opened the

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