This isn’t business as usual. I realize this is a time of great stress and uncertainty. If you’re like me, you can almost feel the tension building more and more every day. Yet at the same time, the work we do at Buckner may be as important right now as ever before.

• Providing safe and secure care for senior adults in our senior living communities.
• Encouraging vulnerable children in foster care across the state, while strengthening our foster families.
• Being a voice of comfort and assurance for vulnerable families at our Family Hope Centers.
• People needing a special word using our distance counseling services.

I could keep going, but it’s obvious the work you help us do is critical and essential. You are a calming breeze in a sea of uncertainty for people we serve who are afraid. I am so grateful for you, but in these extraordinary times, I want you to know how much I appreciate everything you do to support Buckner’s work.

Last week, I was asked to write a newspaper op/ed article about the rise of child abuse we’re starting to see. In my article, I focused on the importance of communication and community, especially during a time when we don’t feel close to each other.

In the article, I pointed out that part of the Latin origin of the word “communication” is the word communis, meaning “common, public, shared by all or many.” The word “community” also derives from communis. You might say that without communication, there is no community.

That is true for our nation, but it is especially true for the Buckner community. We want to communicate with you on a regular basis so that we are connected. Thank you for persevering during this trying time. Even in dark times, you are proof that “Hope shines here.”

Albert L. Reyes
President/CEO 
Buckner International