Christopher Ruth

Better together
“On a cloudless morning in a quiet village, Samuel returned home with his mother, siblings, uncles and grandmother. Jenifer displayed a big smile...

Walking alongside foster families
The fact that most foster parents quit within the first year due to a lack of support is a troubling idea to Chelsea Nemati. She and her husband,...

Serving others offers light in the darkness
Buckner employee Ruby Rodriguez is no stranger to hurricanes. A Houston resident for 45 years, Rodriguez has seen her fair share of severe storms,...

New Buckner Houston campus hosts Hurricane Beryl relief distribution
Even before its grand opening, the Buckner Children and Family Services of Houston campus was hard at work serving the community in the wake of...

A culture of giving back
Amelia Lopez's eyes occasionally wander to the large pot of boiling water and macaroni on the stove. She sits in the kitchen of the Buckner Family...

Floods bring devastation to Kenya
Image source: CNN.com
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Congresswoman Crockett visits Buckner Family Hope Center® at Wynnewood
Two boys started fighting and had to be separated. Buckner staff assumed it was gang related, as was often the case in the early days of the...

Andrews University and Buckner International sign Memorandum of Understanding
Nonprofit Buckner International and Andrews University announced the launch of a collaboration to provide Andrews’ students with opportunities to...

Celebrating Chef Stephan Pyles' culinary flair at Ventana by Buckner
As a fifth-generation Texan, Chef Stephan Pyles wants his cuisine to reflect his roots. That devotion to capturing the flavors of Texas led him to be...

Parkland Health and Buckner Family Hope Center™ collaborate to serve Bachman Lake
The flu season is underway approximately one month earlier than normal, and Texas hospitals are operating at maximum capacity – including...

Buckner receives more than $225,000 from Chevron Phillips Charity Event
The annual Chevron Phillips Charity Golf Tournament raised $225,248 for Buckner Children and Family Services in Southeast Texas. The check was...

Dr. Albert Reyes receives UN Day Global Leadership Award
On Saturday, Oct. 22, Buckner International President and CEO Dr. Albert Reyes was one of 10 people to receive a UN Day Global Leadership Award from...

Buckner Family Pathways™ mom selected for advisory board through Aspen Institute
Karlee Knuth, a single mom from Longview currently enrolled in Buckner Family Pathways™, was selected to serve on a prestigious national advisory...

Beaumont Foundation surpasses $2 million in total contributions for children in foster care
Following the second installment of its $95,700 donation pledge for 2022, the Beaumont Foundation of America (BFA) surpassed $2 million in total...

20 years of Buckner Today donated to Dallas Public Library
The Dallas Public Library will now house more than 20 years of the in-house magazine Buckner Today in its Dallas History & Archives Division. Buckner...

State Senator Hinojosa attends Buckner Family Hope Center™ Pantry Dedication
A dedication for the new pantry at the Buckner Family Hope Center™ at Peñitas was attended by State Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, who represents...

Buckner Westminster Place welcomes new executive director
Senior living community Buckner Westminster Place named Crystal Muniz as its new executive director, effective Sept. 7. A 25-year veteran of the...

Calder Woods announces new executive director
Buckner senior living community Calder Woods named David Ummel as its new executive director, effective Sept. 7.
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Local business helps send children in foster care to camp
The team at Star Properties Real Estate in the Rio Grande Valley continued its annual tradition of helping send children in foster care to summer...

Going Gold for Senior Living becomes annual call for community support
Following the success of last year’s gold ribbon awareness campaign, Going Gold for Senior Living organizer Buckner Retirement Services is...

It’s Baptist Retirement Community's 70th anniversary
Residents, family members, and staff of Baptist Retirement Community came together to celebrate the senior living community’s 70th anniversary. The...

Children currently sleeping in CPS offices find housing at Buckner
News outlets across Texas brandished March 2021 headlines about the foster care crisis. At the time, it was reported 186 kids across the state were...

Family Pathways program inspires both mother and son to succeed
Buckner Family Pathways in Midland celebrates Jaythan for signing with Dallas Christian College to play basketball. His mother, Sherenda, graduated...

Two Buckner senior living communities receive COVID-19 vaccine
Earlier this week, associates and nursing residents of two Buckner senior living communities received the COVID-19 vaccine. This marks the first doses...

A giant wooden cross makes a lasting impression
“I wonder whatever happened to that wood cross,” mused Alan to his visiting children and grandchildren.
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Veterans Memorial Wall unveiled at Parkway Place
Buckner Parkway Place unveiled its Veterans Memorial Wall inside the senior living community during a small, socially distanced crowd of senior...

Buckner Project HOPES receives national recognition as a Blue Ribbon Affiliate
Buckner Project HOPES in Longview earned a prestigious endorsement from the Parents as Teachers National Center, Inc., (PATNC) as a Blue Ribbon...

Buckner surpasses 100 tons of domestic aid during pandemic
During the global pandemic, Buckner International has collected and distributed more than 100 tons of domestic aid product, including food, PPE and...

Women coming together in Longview
“Women coming together with a collective intention … It’s a powerful thing.” – so read the program at the Zonta Club of Longview’s annual...

Buckner launches Gold Ribbon Campaign in support of senior living
Buckner is going gold for senior living, and everyone is invited.
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Jefferson County holds first virtual adoption
Despite the pandemic, Shane and Lori Springer adopted their 2-year-old son on Wednesday, April 22. It was Jefferson County's first virtual adoption...

Ventana’s Humor Club helps seniors battle isolation
“A joyful heart is good medicine; but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” – Proverbs 17:22
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Buckner president delivers keynote speech of hope to Longview Chamber of Commerce
Buckner President and CEO Albert Reyes gave a keynote speech on the themes of hope, community strength and service to nearly 700 people at the 2020...

Buckner Family Hope Centers receive $10,000 donation from My Flooring America
My Flooring America donated $10,000 to support Buckner Family Hope Centers, presenting the check to staff at the Buckner Family Hope Center at Aldine...

Buckner Project HOPES Approved for Another 5 Years Serving Longview Parents
Buckner Project HOPES celebrated its five-year anniversary serving parents in the Longview community and have announced it has been approved for...

Buckner Parkway Place cuts ribbon on community renovations
Buckner Retirement Services held a ribbon cutting ceremony today to unveil its $12.8 million renovation project at Buckner Parkway Place, Houston’s...

Buckner leaders share at Faith and Opportunity Fellowship in Washington D.C.
Diego Silva, director of the Buckner Family Hope Center at Penitas, is one of only 37 fellows selected from around the country for the inaugural...

‘No Need Among You’ conference offers Buckner leaders opportunity to collaborate with peers for a better Texas
Hundreds of pastors, ministry leaders, practitioners, students, social workers, health care professionals and civic leaders came together in San...

Buckner Retirement Services ranked among ‘Best Workplaces for Aging Services’ by Fortune
Buckner Retirement Services (BRS) received a national ranking of 13 on the Best Workplaces for Aging Services (small and medium) by Great Place to...

Houston organizations rally together to help children prepare for school
The city of Houston constantly ranks in the top three most charitable cities in the U.S., according to Charity Navigator. This past weekend was a...

Buckner sends 800 kids in the Rio Grande Valley back to school with new backpacks, school supplies, shoes
Buckner Rio Grande Valley helped 800 local children prepare to go back to school with new backpacks, school supplies and shoes. The families are...

Halliburton Employees fill and donate 760 backpacks with school supplies for children served by Buckner
Halliburton employees gathered this week to fill 760 backpacks with school supplies as part of a Halliburton Charitable Foundation donation to help...

250 Mattresses Arrive at Buckner Humanitarian Aid Center
This past weekend, 250 mattresses arrived at the Buckner Humanitarian Aid Center in Mesquite, Texas thanks to a donation from The Bed Boss, a popular...

Buckner receives $1.5M from Mabee Foundation to complete Family Hope Center at Bachman Lake capital project goal
Buckner International reached its capital project goal for the construction of the Buckner Family Hope Center at Bachman Lake upon receipt of a $1.5...

Inaugural entrepreneurship incubator pitch event propels economically-challenged families toward success
Business experts award grants to economically-challenged families in Peñitas, Texas during the first Buckner entrepreneurship incubator, empowering...

Buckner Lubbock opens West Texas’ first Family Hope Center
Struggling impoverished Lubbock families have new hope thanks to a Buckner ministry that opened today in the area.
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How to encourage your children to read for National Reading Day
January 23 is National Reading Day, one of numerous awareness days designated to highlight the importance of education – and since education is an...

Buckner and Lifeline enter agreement for Texas foster care and adoption
Buckner Children and Family Services is entering into an agreement with Lifeline Children’s Services to provide temporary foster care for children...

Rio Grande Valley wind farm employees energize Christmas for 50 children in foster care
Ronnie Pursley has worked in the energy industry for decades, but no matter what company he works for or what city he resides, Pursley always looks...

Brasfield & Gorrie volunteers build employment readiness classroom for Buckner
Today, 32 volunteers from construction firm Brasfield & Gorrie’s Dallas office served the community by building classroom space for GED and...

Buckner International names Shawna Roy senior executive director of Southeast Texas
Shawna Roy has been named senior executive director for Buckner Children and Family Services of Southeast Texas, effective Jan. 1, 2019. In her new...

Baptist Retirement Community dedicates Elsie Gayer Chapel
Members of the Baptist Retirement Community came together with Buckner Retirement Services staff to dedicate the Elsie Gayer Chapel. On hand were...

Baptist Retirement Community Launching $8.4 Million Renovation Project
Leaders at Buckner Retirement Services announced today a series of major campus renovations at Baptist Retirement Community. The planned updates...

Buckner cuts ribbon on Family Hope Center serving South Houston
Families can now receive vital services like child and youth development, adult education, family coaching, financial empowerment classes and more...

Buckner Westminster Place member and author reads to children on National Read a Book Day
Thursday, Sept. 6 was National Read a Book Day – the perfect day for children’s book author and Buckner Westminster Place member Ida Luttrell to...

Buckner sends 1,200 Houston children back to school with new supplies, backpacks
Last week, Buckner Houston helped send children in Southeast Houston and Aldine back to school with new backpacks, school supplies, uniforms and...

Former Rangers stars, Buckner team up to send underserved Dallas children back to school
On Wednesday night, former Texas Rangers players Elliot “Bump” Wills and George Wright joined Buckner North Texas to send 92 children from the...