&noscript=1 />
A blueprint for success

A blueprint for success

A few years ago, LaSherrell Hayes had never dreamed she’d own her own house. As a single mother staying with a friend, the idea of home ownership...
Are we free to approach God?

Are we free to approach God?

With influential people, such as public figures or government leaders, there are limitations on how one can get in touch with them. I certainly can...
From empty nest to full house

From empty nest to full house

“I don’t want to get attached.” The phrase is uttered too many times as a reason to not do foster care. ...
Four ways to share the Easter story with your children

Four ways to share the Easter story with your children

At Easter, we celebrate how Christ died and was resurrected from the grave to save us, his children, from death as sinners. As adults, we understand...
Celebrating 20 years and 371,000 pairs of shoes

Celebrating 20 years and 371,000 pairs of shoes

Can you imagine 371,000 children? That’s enough children to fill every seat in the Dallas Cowboys stadium four and half times. ...
Volunteers gather to remember 20th anniversary of 9/11

Volunteers gather to remember 20th anniversary of 9/11

Over the weekend, more than 50 people from Communities Foundation of Texas volunteered at the Buckner Center for Humanitarian Aid to commemorate the...
Children and teens learn about entrepreneurship

Children and teens learn about entrepreneurship

The Buckner Family Hope Center is a place families can go to find hope, support and empowerment for the whole family, including the children. Just as...
5 ways to get the most out of volunteering

5 ways to get the most out of volunteering

You want to give back to your community and at the same time learn and grow from the experience. But how do you know your experience will be...
5 ways to celebrate dad on Father's Day

5 ways to celebrate dad on Father's Day

We know you want to celebrate your dad. He works hard throughout the year and is committed to your family. ...
What do you do when you're waiting?

What do you do when you're waiting?

Patience has never been my strong suit, and I hate to wait. But I don’t think I’m alone. When I look around, I see other people, just like me,...
It is well with my soul

It is well with my soul

No matter what comes our way, it is well with my soul.
Two women teach classes they once attended

Two women teach classes they once attended

Blanca and Luz had a lot in common – they both immigrated to America from Mexico, and they were searching for a place to learn English and find a...
Warming center at Bachman Lake gives community refuge from frigid conditions

Warming center at Bachman Lake gives community refuge from frigid conditions

A brutal winter storm sweeping throughout Texas has left millions without power or water during historically low temperatures, heavy ice and snow. In...
Defeated single mother finds reason to smile again

Defeated single mother finds reason to smile again

Yanilka Castillo was struggling and didn't know how to cope, but through coaching at the Buckner Family Hope Center, she found strength, courage,...
Mother and daughter transformed by two Buckner programs

Mother and daughter transformed by two Buckner programs

When Alissa Campos was 9 years old, she and her younger sister were removed from their mother’s care and placed in the home of their great aunt in...
Where are your eyes during the storm?

Where are your eyes during the storm?

We’ve probably all encountered a storm on some level. From a light thunderstorm or hailstorm to a raging hurricane, the power of nature always...
Are you finding time to rest in God?

Are you finding time to rest in God?

I recently took my first vacation in over a year. Thanks to the pandemic, I had no agenda and no plans, just a rare opportunity to rest. At first I...
Volunteers in Rio Grande Valley send backpacks of hope to foster children when camp was canceled due to COVID-19

Volunteers in Rio Grande Valley send backpacks of hope to foster children when camp was canceled due to COVID-19

For the last five years, the employees of Star Properties Real Estate send foster children at the Buckner Rio Grande Children's Home in Mission,...
Protecting families during the crisis

Protecting families during the crisis

When COVID-19 reached Texas, Buckner responded quickly to protect the families we serve. While sheltering in place was new, difficult and sometimes...
6 Camp Buckner employees write more than 350 encouraging letters to foster families while working remotely

6 Camp Buckner employees write more than 350 encouraging letters to foster families while working remotely

Due to the threat of COVID-19 in Texas, Camp Buckner has been closed for retreats and day camps, but that hasn't stopped the staff from continuing to...
He loves me still

He loves me still

I lied to my father once. I was about 10 years old, and he asked me if I had brushed my teeth. ...
What anniversaries do you remember?

What anniversaries do you remember?

Anniversaries. What comes to mind when I say that word? Most of the time anniversaries are associated with happy memories and events – like a...
Remembering the fallen

Remembering the fallen

Today is Memorial Day, a time we set aside to remember and honor those who have died while serving in the U.S. military. These brave men and women...
All we need is love

All we need is love

My youngest brother got married Saturday. It’s not the wedding they had planned. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, they were forced to postpone...
'Never stop fighting!'

'Never stop fighting!'

I think we can all agree 2020 already has been a hard year. Even before the coronavirus caused so many of us to shelter in place for weeks, 2020 was...
Healing hands: Trust during trying times

Healing hands: Trust during trying times

With the COVID-19 pandemic, many lives and routines were instantly changed. But for single mom LaShonda Haynes, when the crisis hit, she stepped into...
Embracing the messy

Embracing the messy

How have you been feeling? What has been occupying your mind and soul? After many weeks of “not normal,” sheltering in place and social...
This is your time

This is your time

Do you know the story of Esther? She was a quiet Jewish girl who essentially won a beauty contest to marry the king. Years later, she learned of a...
The benefit of a smile

The benefit of a smile

Recently, a staff member called a donor to thank him for his $5 donation. She expected to leave a voicemail, but he picked up the phone. At first, he...
Living in the resurrection

Living in the resurrection

Yesterday was Easter, and if your holiday was anything like mine, it was nowhere close to normal. Usually, we start the day at church. Later, my...
Hope is here!

Hope is here!

Things may look a little bleak right about now. As most of us are practicing social distancing and sheltering in place, we may all be experiencing a...
Faith Focus: What if we prayed?

Faith Focus: What if we prayed?

This week, my pastor posed an interesting question: “What if we prayed?” Like most of you, I experienced church from my home, watching live...
Seeking God in the quiet

Seeking God in the quiet

How has your life changed in the last week? For many of us, we are embracing a new culture of working from home, homeschooling our children,...
Peace in the storm

Peace in the storm

Several years ago, I was traveling to my parents’ home in northern Wisconsin. I was about 300 miles away driving through snow. Gradually, the snow...
Faith Focus: The greatest friend

Faith Focus: The greatest friend

This week, my dearest childhood friend came to visit me. We became friends in high school and she is one of the few friends I still keep in contact...
Faith Focus: Soaking in God's Word

Faith Focus: Soaking in God's Word

Yesterday, my mom and I were outside walking my dog. The sun was out and there was a cool breeze. ...
The missing piece of the puzzle

The missing piece of the puzzle

Katie and Aaron Stephens had a plan: foster young children, adopt, be a forever family. But five years later, they saw six children come and go from...
Ranger pitchers bring smiles and fun to Buckner Family Hope Center

Ranger pitchers bring smiles and fun to Buckner Family Hope Center

Young Ranger fans from the Buckner Family Hope Center in Longview, Texas, were thrilled to meet some of their baseball heroes when Texas Ranger...
Faith Focus: The God who heals

Faith Focus: The God who heals

For the last six months I have been battling cancer. In that time, I have had one surgery and extensive chemotherapy treatments. It’s been a...
Youth basketball team spreads Christmas cheer in Houston

Youth basketball team spreads Christmas cheer in Houston

It's easy around the holidays to get wrapped up in what gifts you might receive this Christmas season, but for the kids on the Nationz Best Avengers...
5 ways to create Christmas family memories

5 ways to create Christmas family memories

The Christmas season is such a magical time, but even more so if you have little ones to celebrate the holiday with. Soon, children will be on...
Faith Focus: The God who is good

Faith Focus: The God who is good

This year has been one of the hardest I have had to endure. Because of a cancer diagnosis, I have undergone extensive chemotherapy treatments that...
Faith Focus: The God who provides

Faith Focus: The God who provides

After graduating from college, I was on an extremely tight budget. Between student loans, medical expenses and cost of living, my entry level salary...
Faith Focus: The God who defends

Faith Focus: The God who defends

I grew up knowing only one story about my grandfather’s service in the military. He was a mechanic on a ship stationed at Pearl Harbor and arrived...
Buckner Family Hope Center at Bachman Lake holds candlelight vigil to demonstrate community’s unity and commitment

Buckner Family Hope Center at Bachman Lake holds candlelight vigil to demonstrate community’s unity and commitment

Last night, community members from Bachman Lake in Dallas gathered on the construction site of the new Buckner Family Hope Center at Bachman Lake to...
Faith Focus: The God who comforts

Faith Focus: The God who comforts

It was three words you never want to hear: You have cancer. At 34 years old, the diagnosis of colon cancer was surprising, confusing, unexpected and...
10-year-old boy tells mom: 'You're my superhero'

10-year-old boy tells mom: 'You're my superhero'

Halloween gives you the opportunity to dress up as someone famous, a person you admire or your hero. We asked 10-year-old Julian Flores who his hero...
Buckner delivers school supplies for displaced students due to the Dallas tornadoes

Buckner delivers school supplies for displaced students due to the Dallas tornadoes

Yesterday, Buckner International delivered school supplies and hygiene products to Thomas Edison Middle Learning Center for displaced students from...
Faith Focus: The God who moves

Faith Focus: The God who moves

This summer, I was able to sit down with foster parents Katie and Aaron Stephens in Midland and talk about their foster-to-adopt story. They shared...
Faith Focus: The God who loves

Faith Focus: The God who loves

I should have been delighted – my best friend just told me she was pregnant. After years of infertility, this was truly a joyous occasion. But I...
Faith Focus: The God who remembers

Faith Focus: The God who remembers

I was blessed to grow up in a Christian home with parents who diligently taught me about the love of Christ and the need for a Savior. Because of...
Faith Focus: The God who sees

Faith Focus: The God who sees

I was struggling. Recently graduated from grad school with a master’s degree in hand, I was supposed to find a job easily. I applied to teach...
Faith Focus: The God who frees

Faith Focus: The God who frees

I’m a worrier. I wish there was a nicer word or fancy term for people like me, but the simple truth is I worry and I stress out about work, health...
Faith Focus: Remembering God's faithfulness

Faith Focus: Remembering God's faithfulness

This morning, the hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” was on my lips and heart. It’s not unusual for me to wake up with a song on my heart; it...
Christian radio: Carrying hope through the airwaves

Christian radio: Carrying hope through the airwaves

Radio is where Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls® all started, and it’s a partnership that continues to grow each year. Shoes for Orphan Souls began...
Faith Focus: When suffering hits

Faith Focus: When suffering hits

If you have been in the church for any length of time, you have heard the story of Job – a man described as a faithful follower of God who was...
Faith Focus: What should our response be?

Faith Focus: What should our response be?

In Mark 9:14-29 (NASB), a father desperately asked Jesus for help. His son was possessed with an unclean spirit, which caused the boy to convulse and...
Rio Grande Valley couple loses home – but not hope

Rio Grande Valley couple loses home – but not hope

Carlos Cabrera and his wife Elizabeth Gracia were doing their best to provide for their family. Carlos had a steady job as a plumber and he and...
5-year-old adopted through Buckner throws out first pitch at Texas Rangers game

5-year-old adopted through Buckner throws out first pitch at Texas Rangers game

Aiden Leathers walked through the tunnel underneath the Texas Rangers baseball field starry-eyed. He and his big brother, Justin, 13, were being...
5 ways to celebrate National Reading Month

5 ways to celebrate National Reading Month

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss ...
When God intervenes: Couple’s plan for foster care and adoption derails with significant impact

When God intervenes: Couple’s plan for foster care and adoption derails with significant impact

Foster care and adoption was not an innate calling for Sarah and Jeff Stapleton. They did not go into their marriage assuming they would adopt, but...
Superhero families

Superhero families

Throughout the month of October, we have been highlighting some of our superheroes – families who protect children and are strengthening their...
From Tennessee to Mexico: 87-year-old travels with Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls® to distribute shoes

From Tennessee to Mexico: 87-year-old travels with Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls® to distribute shoes

Juanita Hall lives on a farm in Ooltewah, Tennessee. Every day, she wakes up at 5:30 a.m., makes her coffee and sits on a comfy chair and reads her...
Moody Radio in Chattanooga collects more than 18,000 pairs of shoes

Moody Radio in Chattanooga collects more than 18,000 pairs of shoes

The back door to the diesel truck slams shut. Inside, more than 18,000 pairs of shoes and 18,000 pairs of socks are boxed and ready to be shipped to...
Friday photo: Buckner Day at the Rangers

Friday photo: Buckner Day at the Rangers

Thank you so much to everyone who came to the Texas Rangers game on Sunday for Buckner Day at the Rangers with a MercyMe post-game concert. ...
Hearts that help

Hearts that help

It was an unusual cold winter in Peñitas, Texas. Marcela Alanis' two sons, ages 3 and 6, needed showers, so she bundled them up in blankets, stepped...
Friday photo: Buckner Family Hope Center holds first VBS in West Dallas

Friday photo: Buckner Family Hope Center holds first VBS in West Dallas

Last week, the Buckner Family Hope Center ministered to more than 30 children at the Globe Life Training Center at the Texas Rangers MLB Youth...
Friday photo: Robinson Chirinos plays baseball with children Buckner serves

Friday photo: Robinson Chirinos plays baseball with children Buckner serves

It was a summer to remember for children involved in Buckner programs when they took the field and met Texas Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos at a...
Embracing community: How tragedy brought one family a community to rely on

Embracing community: How tragedy brought one family a community to rely on

The first time Librada Cortez Martinez stepped into the Buckner Family Hope Center in Oaxaca, Mexico, she thought only about her children. ...
An unconventional home build

An unconventional home build

This summer in Peñitas, Texas, several church groups have joined together to build a new home through Buckner Domestic Missions for a family who...
Summer starts with family with Buckner

Summer starts with family with Buckner

The Buckner Family Hope Center at Wynnewood in Dallas recently kicked off summer with their annual community event "Summer Fam Fest," which included...
Dallas Family Pathways mother finds blessings in the storms

Dallas Family Pathways mother finds blessings in the storms

When Krystal Smith sneaks into her children’s room to wake them for school, she doesn’t enter on her tip toes – she dances. ...
Open home, open hearts

Open home, open hearts

It was the day Jennifer and Mace Perez had prayed for. After four years of infertility, Jennifer and Mace were holding their beautiful, newborn...
Friday photo: Buckner Family Pathways of Houston moves single parents and children into new apartments

Friday photo: Buckner Family Pathways of Houston moves single parents and children into new apartments

In Houston, it’s a new beginning for 20 single parents who moved into the new Buckner Family Pathways apartments located at New Hope Housing at...
Friday photo: Buckner Foster Care and Adoption participates in balloon release for National Child Abuse Prevention Month

Friday photo: Buckner Foster Care and Adoption participates in balloon release for National Child Abuse Prevention Month

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and several Buckner locations participated in activities to help bring awareness to the issue of child...
National Volunteer Month: Buckner families give back to their community

National Volunteer Month: Buckner families give back to their community

Each volunteer at Buckner is an important piece of our ministries and this month we are celebrating National Volunteer Month by highlighting some of...
Friday photo: Happy Easter

Friday photo: Happy Easter

"But God demonstrates his own love toward us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." – Romans 5:8 ...
A home built on faith

A home built on faith

Luis Conde and Brenda Hernandez moved to Peñitas, Texas, for one reason: to protect their children. ...
Mission teams build new houses, new futures for families

Mission teams build new houses, new futures for families

This week, mission teams from across the state are spending their Spring Break in Peñitas, Texas, building homes for families involved with the...
Friday photo: Texas Rangers visits Family Hope Center in Longview

Friday photo: Texas Rangers visits Family Hope Center in Longview

On Monday, the Texas Rangers visited Buckner children, families and seniors at the Buckner Family Hope Center in Longview as a part of their Winter...
Friday photo: HEB gives shopping spree and gifts to 20 families in Rio Grande Valley

Friday photo: HEB gives shopping spree and gifts to 20 families in Rio Grande Valley

Last week, 20 Buckner Family Hope Center families in the Rio Grande Valley received a little extra help for the holidays thanks to HEB. HEB gave each...
Growing hope

Growing hope

Juan Calan and his wife Josefina Romero were living the American dream, working hard in New York to save money for their family. They sent the money...
Faith Focus: This beautiful mess

Faith Focus: This beautiful mess

My family Christmases don’t look anything like those peaceful family gatherings you see on TV, with family members crowded around a table with a...
Friday photo: Celebrating National Adoption Month with the Dallas Stars

Friday photo: Celebrating National Adoption Month with the Dallas Stars

On Nov. 10, Buckner foster and adoptive children experienced Buckner Night with the Dallas Stars in celebration of National Adoption Month. Throughout...
Friday photo: Aramark employees revitalize Buckner Family Hope Center

Friday photo: Aramark employees revitalize Buckner Family Hope Center

On Wednesday, over 100 Aramark team members volunteered at the Buckner Family Hope Center at Wynnewood as part of their annual global day of service....
Buckner, KCBI donate 1,500 shoes from DFW shoe drive to hurricane victims

Buckner, KCBI donate 1,500 shoes from DFW shoe drive to hurricane victims

Buckner International and Dallas-based radio station KCBI are donating more than 1,500 shoes collected in August through the DFW Shoe Drive to...
Friday photo: Bubbles for everyone!

Friday photo: Bubbles for everyone!

Everyone loves bubbles! Last weekend, Buckner foster families and families served through Buckner Family Pathways in Midland, Texas, gathered for a...
A light that shines through the darkness

A light that shines through the darkness

Cecilia Valencia and her husband Daniel Lopez sighed with relief when they learned they qualified for a new home build by Buckner Domestic Missions....
Joy fills Midland courthouse as 10 children are adopted

Joy fills Midland courthouse as 10 children are adopted

Throughout the hallways in a Midland, Texas, courthouse, two little girls danced with their new siblings. Last month, Emerson and Regan were adopted...
Friday photo: Easter celebration

Friday photo: Easter celebration

Last week, 507 people attended an Easter celebration on the proposed site of the new Buckner Family Hope Center at Bachman Lake in Dallas. Around the...
Buckner International sending food, water filters to flood victims in Peru

Buckner International sending food, water filters to flood victims in Peru

Buckner International is shipping more than 500,000 meals and 400 water filters to help the more than 630,000 people who have been affected by the...
Family Pathways Dallas: A Place of healing

Family Pathways Dallas: A Place of healing

To Stephanie Richards, Buckner Family Pathways in Dallas is a place of healing. ...
Seeds of faith – Rebecca Barker Trent

Seeds of faith – Rebecca Barker Trent

Rhonda Horton and Rachel Haas grew up listening to their mother tell them about their great-grandmother, Rebecca Barker Trent, who grew up at Buckner...
Friday photo: Change a life

Friday photo: Change a life

Whether distributing shoes or aid, playing games with a child or helping with a craft during Vacation Bible School, mission trip participants have the...
Friday photo: Community blessing

Friday photo: Community blessing

Juan Chong and his family have been involved with the Buckner Family Hope Center at Houston/Aldine for a few years. Now, he is an active volunteer...
'Our miracle baby'

'Our miracle baby'

In five years of doing foster care, David and April McCarthy have had 13 foster children stay in their home – all of them boys. They have eight...
Aldine families receive toys and food to make holidays a little easier

Aldine families receive toys and food to make holidays a little easier

Christmas is a little brighter for families in the Buckner Family Hope Center at Houston/Aldine programs as they received food and toys for their...
Friday photo: Christmas blessing

Friday photo: Christmas blessing

Thanks to some Buckner volunteers, Christmas will be extra special for the moms in the Buckner Family Pathways program in Dallas. Yesterday,...
Friday photo: Buckner Night with the Dallas Stars

Friday photo: Buckner Night with the Dallas Stars

On Nov. 19, Buckner foster and adoptive children experienced Buckner Night with the Dallas Stars in celebration of National Adoption Month. During the...
There's so much to be thankful for

There's so much to be thankful for

Thanksgiving Day – it’s a day full of family, fun and food. But even more so, it’s a time of reflection and remembrance. It’s a time to be...
Friday photo: Dallas Mavericks deliver Thanksgiving meals to Buckner families

Friday photo: Dallas Mavericks deliver Thanksgiving meals to Buckner families

Yesterday afternoon, Dallas Mavericks players Devin Harris and Deron Williams helped distribute Thanksgiving meals to 250 Dallas families...
Rays of joy

Rays of joy

It was a sweltering 99 degrees, unusually warm for Dallas in late September. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky and rays of sunlight covered the...
Aramark employees give cooking demonstration, revitalize Buckner campus on special volunteer day

Aramark employees give cooking demonstration, revitalize Buckner campus on special volunteer day

Over 150 volunteers from Aramark came to Buckner Children’s Campus on Sept. 20 to host a cooking class, paint murals in various locations, spruce up...
Buckner Family Hope Center at Wynnewood services new area

Buckner Family Hope Center at Wynnewood services new area

The Buckner Family Hope Center at Wynnewood just got a little bigger as it will provide services to a newly built affordable housing apartment...
Friday photo: Supporting Louisiana flood victims

Friday photo: Supporting Louisiana flood victims

Allen High School students raised money to help replace lost athletic equipment at Runnels High School in Baton Rouge, La., during the recent...
Meeting the need: Therapeutic foster parents help children blossom

Meeting the need: Therapeutic foster parents help children blossom

Meeting the need ...
Friday photo: Move-in ready

Friday photo: Move-in ready

The Buckner family in Longview, Texas, celebrated the first families to move into the Mac and Tom Stone Buckner Family Pathways building on Aug. 23...
5 reasons why foster care family camp is the best

5 reasons why foster care family camp is the best

In July, more than 600 foster and adopted children and families had the chance to come closer together as a family, and have some fun and relaxation...
Reading for fun

Reading for fun

Barbara McNeir is a “frustrated actress.” She loves drama and being on the stage but she never made a career out of it. She also loves to read....
Texas veteran remembers war and those who made the ultimate sacrifice

Texas veteran remembers war and those who made the ultimate sacrifice

In honor of Independence Day, Buckner Senior Living is taking pause to celebrate all the heroic veterans who live in our communities across Texas....
Buckner Guatemala gives new eyes to local family

Buckner Guatemala gives new eyes to local family

Four-year-old Oseas was playing in the yard with his older brother in the quiet community of San Luis Puerta Negra in San Jose Pinula, Guatemala. The...
By faith alone: Midland couple adopts siblings through foster care

By faith alone: Midland couple adopts siblings through foster care

Since the day they got married, George and Agatha Wall dreamed about having a large family. They both grew up in large families – Agatha has nine...
The cutting edge: Buckner Family Hope Center helps hair stylist grow thriving business

The cutting edge: Buckner Family Hope Center helps hair stylist grow thriving business

Antonio Galeno swivels the chair and picks up the scissors. He gracefully yet deftly cuts his client’s hair all while greeting those that walk in...
Breaking free

Breaking free

Everything Rebekah works toward – securing a safe living environment and doing well in her studies – is motivated by her children, Emely and SJ. ...

Get uplifting stories of how you can shine hope in the U.S. and around the world!

We're excited to share with you all the ways you can shine hope to vulnerable children and families around the world. We invite you to stay connected with us while also growing in your own faith.

Click below to get the latest news, updates and invitations to exclusive events from Buckner. And, we'll send you spiritual encouragement through our weekly Faith Focus devotion. You won't find these stories and resources anywhere else!