Focus on the Family

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FOTF logo.svg
Website Name
Date Founded
1977
Founder/Main People
Former Logo

Focus on the Family (FOTF, FotF, or Focus), founded in 1977, is a Christian non-profit organization based in the United States. The organization describes itself as "dedicated to nurturing and defending families worldwide". The group was founded by James Dobson and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Focus on the Family is one of a number of evangelical para-church organizations whose stated aim is not to start a new church or denomination, but to work interdenominationally to protect and promote their definitions of traditional family and family values. Some of the core promotional activities of the organization include a daily radio broadcast by Dobson and his colleagues, providing free counseling and resources for those facing family difficulties, and publishing a variety of magazines, videos and audio recordings.

Adventures in Odyssey

FOTF also produces a children's radio drama entitled Adventures in Odyssey. It began in 1987 as Family Portraits, starring an elderly Christian gentleman named John Avery Whittaker (aka "Whit"), who runs a popular ice cream shop/"discovery emporium" called Whit's End; and he imparts Christian wisdom to the children of the town of Odyssey. It was renamed Odyssey USA in November 1987 and took on its present name, Adventures in Odyssey in April 1988.

Facilities

Currently its three office buildings have a combined space of over 526,000 square feet (49,000 m²) housing over 1,300 employees. One of the buildings is largely used for receiving telephone calls from listeners and providing requested assistance; this activity engages the largest segment of its employees. The organization's facilities are open for tours by the public Monday through Saturday, excepting certain holidays. A bookstore and cafeteria are onsite, as is the child-oriented Whit's End Soda Shop which serves ice cream and "Wod fam choc sod" (world famous chocolate soda) made famous by the Adventures in Odyssey children's radio theater show produced by Focus on the Family.

Resources