On Oct. 14, about 40 volunteers from AT&T and City Year spent four hours meticulously hand painting a mural on the basketball court at Buckner International’s Dallas campus for children and families.

The basketball court sits at the center of the campus and adjacent to a playground and is now a bright focal point for the families and children who are served through different Dallas nonprofit programs, such as Buckner Family Pathways®.

The mural’s images of a basketball and soccer ball are a nod to the dual purpose of the court, both basketball and futsal. Futsal is similar to soccer but is often played on basketball courts.

Buckner is one of the recipients for sports court revitalization as part of a national project that is a collaboration of City Year and AT&T’s Revive Tu Cancha initiative. Translated to “revive your court,” the project refreshes local sport courts leading up to the 2026 World Cup. The project also includes the donation of new sports equipment including futsal goals and balls, basketballs and storage.

City Year is a nonprofit whose team leads large-scale volunteer projects, such as the Buckner basketball court mural. The organization focuses on leadership development through service. Together, their work transformed the court from an old concrete platform into an inviting and colorful place of play for vulnerable children.

“We’re so thankful these organizations and their volunteers gave their time and energy to this beautiful refresh of our basketball court,” said Lindsay Miller, DFW executive director for Buckner Children and Family Services. “We appreciate that they support the community in a way that enriches the lives of vulnerable children.”

Center court of the mural features a modern design of the Buckner Hornets crest, the mascot of the school that once stood nearby. The current campus where the court is located is on land that was once part of the previous Buckner Orphans Home. Akin to a small city at the time, the grounds included services that supported daily life for the children and their caregivers, including a bakery, radio station and chapel. The campus also included schools from elementary through high school as well as a gym.

Wearing blue and gold, the Hornets football team was formed in approximately 1934 and by 1936 was competing with local teams from Garland, Irving, Mesquite and Grand Prairie. Although it’s not recorded why the hornet was chosen as a mascot, the name remains on the revived court as a reminder of Buckner’s long history of care for vulnerable children.

Today, the court is used by families within Buckner programs that include foster care and NextStep. The court is also used by families with Buckner Family Pathways which helps single parents redirect their lives through education, counseling, finance coaching and job training. Family Pathways aims to be family-focused, rather than just parent-focused, to foster generational change.

“This spot on our campus is particularly important to Buckner families and their children. When they play on this court, it’s not just basketball or jump rope, it’s a place where they build a community of friends and neighbors who love and support one another,” Miller said.