She turned around with a huge grin. “This is mine.”

It was hard for her to contain the emotion in her voice. Taking a deep breath, she let it all sink in. She was in a safe place. She had the support she needed. She was going to reach her goals.

A few doors down, Monica Martinez let out a sigh and an exclamation with each new household item she unwrapped.

“Can you believe this? All new towels!” she said. “We used to have just one that we shared. I had to wash it all the time.”

Admiring the washer and dryer, the remote-controlled living room ceiling fan and the soft new mattresses on the beds, she said, “I thought only Oprah did things like this!”

Margarita and Monica were homeless before they moved into two of the brand-new apartments at Buckner Family Pathways in Dallas Jan. 18. There was excitement, gratitude and hope in their voices. They were starting fresh. Their world was all possibilities now.

Margarita was referred by The Family Place shelter, the largest family violence service provider in the Dallas area. She stayed there for several months after fleeing a bad relationship in California.

She is studying youth counseling at El Centro College, and she hopes to work with kids and mothers who have been through domestic violence and drug issues. “Stuff I can relate to,” she said. She has the physical scars to prove it.

Monica’s homelessness couldn’t be attributed to one big problem. It was just life – a lot of smaller things that added up to a flood. Life was pulling her under, and she couldn’t keep her head above water without help.

She and her daughter had drifted from place to place. When a lady at church heard about their plight, she took Monica and her 5-year-old daughter in. They slept in her living room until Monica found Family Pathways.

Now she is studying mass communication and journalism. She dreams of using technology to take the word of God to people in remote areas of the world.

“That is my ultimate dream for now,” she said. “Who knows? God might give me a bigger one.”

The Winborns, a family whose financial gifts support Family Pathways, were there to help the women move in and to pray over them as they started their journey.

“I think that Family Pathways is a gorgeous program,” said Donna Winborn. “I truly believe it is exactly how God would have us to help and uplift these young mothers. I’m just impressed with the way this program is valuing these ladies’ lives.”

To support Buckner Family Pathways or other Buckner family transition programs in Texas, please call Buckner Foundation at 214-758-8050.

Watch the Video! A Moving Move-In for Two Dallas Family Pathways Residents

By Diamond Richardson
Buckner International

DALLAS – Participants in HIV prevention education classes held at Buckner International’s Simari Ridge Community Resource Center graduated from the program in a ceremony at the Urban League of Greater Dallas administration offices.

“One of our guiding principles is to empower the community through the power of life,” said Loretta Johnson, health director for the Urban League of Greater Dallas, to the graduates. “The life that each of you are saving by completing this program is your own.” 

Simari Ridge collaborated with the Urban League of Greater Dallas, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to provide HIV prevention education to adults in the South Dallas area, said Carter Shepard, community resource coordinator for Simari Ridge.

Students learned about gender specific issues, HIV prevention, safe sex practices and behavioral self-management during SISTA, the women’s program, and NIA, the men’s program, said Tynetta Runnels, lead facilitator for SISTA. 

“There are a lot of role-playing situations, where we put people in certain situations with a girl or guy and work through how to handle the situation,” said AnDrou Hatchett, lead facilitator for the SISTA program.

Runnels said many of the women were passive when it came to HIV prevention because they had low self-esteem coming into the program, but she hopes the program will encourage them to take charge of their sexual health.

“I will definitely make sure my next boyfriend gets tested,” said Lytisha Robinson, a SISTA graduate. “And if he is not OK with that, then he can’t be with me because SISTA has taught me to love myself more.”

Kerry Washington, a graduate of the NIA program, sang at the graduation ceremony.

Kerry Johnson graduated from the NIA program and said he is thankful for the valuable information he learned.

“Before these classes I heard about HIV and AIDS on TV but I didn’t really know a lot,” he said. “Now I know what signs to look for and I am going to be more aware of who I choose to be with.”

At the graduation, Johnson encouraged the students to take what they have learned and share it with others.

“AIDS is the number one killer in the African-American community but information brings transformation,” she said. “Now we are going to release you to the front lines of this war and we are going to fight it.”

To find out more about the ways you can support Buckner community center programs, please call Buckner Foundation at 214-758-8050.

By Lauren Hollon Sturdy
Buckner International

BEAUMONT – Each year, Buckner staff in Beaumont think they’ve “seen it all” in the world of gingerbread houses, but every December, competitors prove them wrong.

The annual Gingerbread Competition brings out the artist, eccentric, child or comedian in people, from peaceful, candy-covered winter scenes to a wacky and lifelike representation of a scene from the classic holiday movie Christmas Vacation.

Eighty-four participants entered 31 gingerbread houses in this community-wide competition sponsored by the Golden Triangle Chapter of the Texas Chefs Association and the Lamar University Hospitality Program.

Entries were judged on Dec. 5 based on their degree of difficulty, artistic achievement, work involved, originality and total appearance. Winning entries earned cash prizes, which were sponsored by the Golden Triangle Chapter of the Texas Chefs Association. Other sponsors included Market Basket, Harbor Hospice of Beaumont, Buckner Auxiliary and Mr. and Mrs. EG Cordts.

The gingerbread houses were sold in a live auction on Saturday, Dec. 10 at the McFaddin-Ward Visitor’s Center to raise money for Buckner Children and Family Services in Beaumont. The live auction raised $1,375 in addition to $2,000 donated by sponsors, for a total of $3,375.

This year’s winners were:

High School
1st Place – “Winter Wonderland”– Silsbee High School Culinary Class
2nd Place – “Hansel and Gretal Village” – Silsbee High Sschool Culinary Class
3rd Place – “Smiley Junction” – Silsbee High School Culinary Class

College
1st Place – “Cancun Christmas Vacation Home” – Daisy Rocha
2nd Place – “First Snow at the Ranch” – Tish Chase
3rd Place – “As for Me and My House” – Lois Marie Brumley

Non-Professional
1st Place – “The McFaddin Family’s Farm Barn” – Docent Class of 2009
2nd Place – “That There’s an RV, Clark – Griswold Christmas” – Jennifer Cabrera and Marilyn Smith
3rd Place – “Christmas Past” – Rebekah Stanley

Professional Bakers
1st Place – “A Hee Haw Christmas” – Serafina GiVello
2nd Place – “Dreams Come True” – Elena Herman with Barbara Bunn

Click the first photo below to see a slideshow of the Gingerbread Competition entries.

 

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DALLAS – Last Saturday outside the Dallas Convention Center, thousands of people huddled together, wrapped in blankets, waiting for 8:30 a.m. when the doors would open for the 8th Annual Christmas Gift 2011.

“We were told that some people even came Friday night and camped out to make sure they had a good spot in line,” said Brittany Sumrall, volunteer coordinator for Shoes for Orphan Souls®, the largest humanitarian aid project of Buckner International. “This event fills such an important need in our community.”

Christmas Gift, an event run by Operation Care International, served more than 8,000 homeless people, veterans and low-income families last weekend with gifts, new clothes, warm meals, haircuts and new shoes. Buckner has participated in the event since it began in 2004 and donated more than 4,500 pairs of new shoes this year.

“The shoes provided are an incredible help to this ministry,” said Susie Jennings, founder of Operation Care. “They are the lifeline in the foot washing area.”

Jennings founded Operation Care in 1993 to provide for the physical needs of impoverished children and the homeless. Every December the organization partners with charities, churches, corporate and small business sponsors, individual sponsors and donors to hold the “nation’s largest Christmas party for the homeless.”

“Partnership is vital to this ministry,” Jennings said. “Each of our partners functions as the hands and feet of Jesus.”

Volunteer help is also essential. It took more than 3,000 volunteers to pull off Christmas Gift this year. At the foot washing station, kneeling before rows of chairs with paper towels, wet wipes and sanitizer, volunteers washed guests’ feet and fitted them with new socks and shoes. 

“I was nervous about signing up for foot washing, but I felt it was where I should spend my time,” one volunteer said. “I’m so glad I went through with it. It’s been emotional and life changing.”

Buckner collects shoes year-round through its worldwide Shoes for Orphan Souls project. Since 1999, Shoes for Orphan Souls has collected and distributed more than 2.2 million pairs of new shoes to 74 countries around the world. About 20 percent of shoes collected by Buckner help vulnerable children and families in the U.S.

“Susie told me that every guest that needed a pair of shoes received a pair of shoes,” said Mike Julian, logistics manager for the Buckner Center for Humanitarian Aid. “That is a blessing!”

To learn more about the events and ministries of Operation Care International, visit their website at http://www.opcare.org/. For information about Shoes for Orphan Souls, visit http://shoesfororphansouls.org/.

Nursing students from Texas Women’s University and members of the Dallas Cake Club spread Christmas cheer yesterday at three Buckner afterschool programs in the Dallas area.

The Dallas Cake Club provided festive, fondant-covered confections to the Hillburn Hills, Simari Ridge and Wynnewood community resource centers, while the TWU nursing school brought wrapped boxes filled with gifts that nursing students had collected for each child.

“I really hope that the kids just know there are people out there who love them and care for them that are not in their everyday life,” said Chelsea Moran, a junior in the nursing program and a member of First Baptist Church of Euless.

The children’s faces lit up to open their boxes and see new school supplies, jewelry making kits, action figures, kites, new socks, toiletries and other gifts.

“The kids responded well to the group, and they were very excited to get gifts,” said Carter Shephard, community resource coordinator at Simari Ridge. “The nursing students made the kids feel that they care about them, support them and wanted them to have a great Christmas.”

The nurses-in-training encouraged students to pursue education and achieve their dreams. They also answered questions about what it’s like to work in nursing. The kids were especially intrigued to learn that nursing students got to help in the delivery room.

The Dallas Cake Club provided holiday-themed cakes for the Christmas parties on Dec. 5.

“One of our primary goals is to use these experiences to show a compassionate side of nursing to students,” said Myke Knapp, president of the TWU Nursing Student Association. “Another goal is to be role models and demonstrate how an education can take you beyond what you have come to know as your destiny.”

This is the second event the TWU Nursing Student Association has done for the children in Buckner afterschool programs. Earlier this year, they collected 250 pounds of candy and 2,300 plastic eggs to organize an Easter egg hunt for the kids.

By Chelsea Quackenbush
Buckner International

PENITAS, Texas – Alberto Diaz’s five-year-old daughter used to ask him why it would continue to rain inside their trailer though it stopped raining outside.

And it broke his heart. Especially during hurricane season.

He had to tell her Daddy didn’t make a smart decision when he bought the home. He felt ashamed and had no one to turn to for help.

“It’s really difficult in the Valley right now economically, and we’ve been passing through a lot of economic problems, like with clothing and my daughter starting school,” Diaz said. “I was embarrassed to go to Andrew (a Buckner social worker in the Rio Grande Valley) and ask for help. Like God says, if you don’t talk, nobody is going to hear you so just talk.  I went to him and explained my situation. I’m missing soap, shampoo, basic stuff people need to shower and look presentable.”

Diaz and his family live in the Colonias, poor neighborhoods of mostly migrant families living in squalor. These families are often taken advantage of by the land owners, who sell them plots at extremely high interest rates, which makes it impossible to repay the loans.

Driving through the Colonias resembles a third-world country. But it’s Texas. And Buckner is trying to change them, one family at a time.

Occupational and educational help

It’s not easy raising five children under the age of five, but with a little help from Buckner’s only domestic CTC in Penitas, Texas, Diaz and his girlfriend, Lupita Gonzalez, have moved into a better apartment  and are attending parenting classes.

The CTC staff helped Diaz, who had 12 years of painting experience, start his own painting business. His first solo job was to paint the interior of the CTC. He learned how to make his own business cards, how to give estimates, see the project through and meet deadlines.

“With this family, I saw right away that there were a lot of needs, but also a lot of strengths and a lot of potential,” Buckner social worker Andrew Trujillo said. “All they needed was a little support. This family has grown a lot just since I’ve known them. And as far as transformation goes, I see them going much, much further.”

Lupita and Alberto are planning on going to counseling and are talking about marriage. Buckner also helped Lupita enroll in school for the spring by paying her testing fees and filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The CTC provided shoes for the entire family.

The Valley

The Diaz-Gonzalez family is a best-case scenario representation of the families Buckner Border Ministries serves. In the majority of families, fathers don’t have steady employment or they are underemployed.

“The families in the Valley are very hard-working and very motivated, especially for their children,” Trujillo said. “They really want to see the lives of their children improve. But there are so many systems of oppression, as well as personal needs, just holding the family back from that next level of functioning.”

The center works holistically with families and walks alongside them, instead of imposing rules on them, Trujillo said. They let the family identify their dreams and their goals for the future, and then the staff helps them break down those dreams into more measurable tasks and objectives to help them reach their dreams.

The CTC offers case management, parenting classes and access to computers. They give out free vitamins and shoes to children. They address the physical, spiritual, medical, emotional and vocational needs of their clients.

Click here to learn more about the philosophy behind Buckner Community Transformation Centers.

By Chelsea Quackenbush
Buckner International

Transformation is not going to take place in a community if it’s not going to take place in the individual.

That’s the goal of Buckner’s Community Transformation Centers around the world. Case managers work with local families and individuals to address physical, medical, emotional, vocational and above all, spiritual needs to transform their hearts and lives.

“There needs to be a transformation of the heart,” said Dexton Shores, a regional director of Buckner Latin American ministries. “If there’s a relationship with God and families are connected with local churches, the likelihood of transformation increases dramatically.”

Little by little, Buckner staff are making connections and building relationships with people and families in the communities they serve to teach lasting lessons about how to do life better. Like Jesus told his disciples, life is better when in community with one another.

They were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42

Buckner CTCs provide a holistic approach to the communities they serve by delivering an integrated, needs-based continuum of care to vulnerable children and their families. They are located in fragile communities, surrounded by poverty and crime. The centers seek to enable and empower parents to provide a safe, stable and loving environment for their children.

The first CTC opened in 2009 in Jocotenango, a small community on the edge of Antigua, Guatemala. Now there are eight CTCs scattered in the Rio Grande Valley, Honduras, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Peru, and 10 more Buckner plans to open in 2012.

Each center delivers a slate of opportunities that include health services, social services, educational services, access to humanitarian aid and spiritual enrichment.

Read more about our CTCs around the world by following the links below:

Penitas, Texas - The only domestic Buckner CTC helped Albert Diaz turn his 12 years of painting experience into a small business. The Diaz-Gonzalez family is a best-case scenario representation of the families Buckner Border Ministries serves. Read their story. 

Neza, Mexico - The Maná CTC in Neza has opened a satellite CTC in the Las Villas community, a squatter community of extreme poverty near railroad tracks. The program currently relies on volunteers while Buckner staff make evaluations and determine whether or not they will open a full-service CTC.

Sierra Leone - Matilda Conteh was once resigned to a life of begging. Now, through a partnership between Buckner and the Global Connections Partnership Network, she has learned a trade and hopes to support herself and her children.

Roatan, Honduras - Last summer, Alex was a 5-year-old Honduran problem facing serious health problems. Now, he’s healthy and learning how to stay that way.

Zaachila, Mexico – A new initiative from Buckner Mexico seeks to turn families’ lives around 180 degrees.

Eduardo Brito, Dominican Republic - The Buckner CTC in Eduardo Brito has partnered with Esperanza Bank to kickstart a microloan program that will help families become self-reliant as they build small businesses.

To learn more about how you can support one of the Buckner Community Transformation Centers and accompanying ministries, please contact the Buckner Foundation at 214-758-8050.

Jackson, who graduated ASU in 1994, came to Buckner Children and Family Services in Dallas 21 years ago. He was an All-American linebacker at ASU, followed by a stint in the Canadian Football League and almost played for the Chicago Bears.

“I felt a passion to work with kids,” he said. “I saw an ad for a job at Buckner, applied for it and got hired as a childcare specialist working with troubled teens. It was a calling in my life to do that. I wanted to help other people, the less fortunate or vulnerable kids and families.

“My father died when I was young and my brother was shot,” Jackson said. “I knew the impact that had in my life, so I wanted to try and make a difference in other people’s lives.”

In January, Jackson was appointed senior director for international operations. He supervises Buckner’s missions in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Guatemala, Peru and Russia.

In the nomination letter, Buckner President and fellow ASU alum Albert Reyes said, “If all I was writing you regarding Henry was limited to his career at Buckner, he may not qualify as a Distinguished Alumnus. The bigger story is the person Henry has become as well as the obstacles he overcame to be one of our strongest leaders at Buckner during one of the most expansive periods in our 132-year history.”

Jackson also serves as an ordained minister at the Emmanuel NewLife Fellowship in Dallas, where he leads Bible studies and teaches an adult Sunday school class.

This story originally appeared in the Angelo State University Alumni Magazine, Fall 2011.

The FYI Center serves young adults who are transitioning from foster care to independent adult living. These 16 to 25-year-olds have grown up in foster care and often have little or no support from their biological families. Services coordinated through the FYI Center  focus on education, employment, transportation, housing, mentoring and financial assistance.

“We are so honored to be involved in the updates at the center,” said Marcus Johnson, general manager for Best Buy. “Providing young adults with transitional assistance towards independence is such an important and necessary endeavor. It is so important for the community to help these young people create successful futures and we cannot express how happy we are to be part of this program. We at Best Buy are proud to be a friend of Buckner and look forward to a continued partnership.”

The grant will buy 10 new desktop computers, hubs for networking, two printers, an Epson Multimedia Projector with a tripod projection screen, Microsoft Office software and anti-virus software.

“We’re very excited to receive this gift, because it lets us be a greater resource to those we serve,” said Kevin Garriga, manager of Transitional Programs for Buckner. “A lot of our kids are living in the dorms at Lamar University and walk across the street to the FYI Center to do research or get help with homework. The new computers and upgrades will allow more students access throughout the day.”

The projector and screen will be used for training when the youth attend conferences at the center, Garriga said.

“We appreciate our friends at Best Buy,” said Laura May, administrator for Buckner Children and Family Services in Beaumont. “They are very supportive, not only with funds, but their employees also volunteer their time at Buckner Children’s Village. We are so grateful to each of them for all they do to make life better for the hurting children that we serve.”

For more information on getting involved with the FYI Center, please call Buckner at 409-866-0976 or visit the center’s website at www.fyicenterbeaumont.org.

BEAUMONT—Buckner Children and Family Services was presented with a check today representing proceeds from the 2011 Chevron Phillips Charity Golf Tournament held at Bayou Din on September 30. This year’s event raised a record-breaking $165,139.

The funds raised will benefit the children and programs of Buckner Children and Family Services in Southeast Texas.

Margie Conway, the Port Arthur Plant Manager of Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP, announced that the steering committee was in awe of the results.

“We are glad to see so many supporters of the event,” she said. “We had 36 new sponsors this year and many others that continue to support this worthy organization.”

Conway announced that Chevron Phillips Chemical would sponsor the tournament for Buckner again next year.

“We’ve been involved with Buckner for thirteen years. We believe in these kids and respect what Buckner does for them. The services that Buckner provides are so important to our community and we appreciate the support of the sponsors and volunteers that help make it possible,” she said.

The golf tournament was a two-day event with more than 800 participants and volunteers. More than $5,000 in prizes was awarded, and event partners donated more than 200 items for the live and silent auctions.

Since 1999, the tournament has raised more than $1.5 million for Buckner Children and Family Services in Southeast Texas.

“We appreciate Chevron Phillips Chemical and all of businesses and individuals who’ve made this event possible,” said Laura May, administrator for Buckner Children and Family Services in Beaumont. “We couldn’t touch so many lives without the help of our community.”