In the mid-1990s, roughly 800 of the 4,000 students at Angelina College in Lufkin, Texas, were single parents. Many of them had come back to school to improve themselves so they could better provide for their families. 

College administrators and Buckner leaders identified three roadblocks to their success: housing, transportation and child care. These parents and families needed a path they could follow to succeed and a solution to these urgent obstacles that could prevent them from earning their degrees.

The vision for a single-parent ministry in East Texas

Thus, the Buckner Family Pathways® program was born.

Dr. Larry Phillips served as the president of Angelina College in 1996 when Family Pathways (then referred to as Buckner Family Place) began. He was a critical voice in the program's creation and helped cast the vision for the future of Family Pathways. Dr. Phillips passed away in February 2025, but his legacy of leadership at Angelina College and his influence in the creation of the Family Pathways program lives on.

In 2017, Dr. Phillips shared about the origins of the single-parent program, “I think from the inception, it was a perfect partnership: A community college, which is supposed to do things like this for their community, and an international organization with the reputation and the success rate of Buckner … the community embraced it from the beginning.”

Family Pathways was created to support single mothers and fathers pursuing their education and who need to care for their children while determining next steps for their family’s future. Today, the program provides Christian mentorship and counseling, safe housing and transportation solutions for single parents who are enrolled full-time in pursuit of a degree or vocational certificate.  

Since its inception in the 1990s, the program has served thousands of single parents and families all over Texas. In 2024 alone, Family Pathways impacted 161 families. The program expanded from its foundation location in Lufkin to seven different cities across Texas — Amarillo, Dallas, Houston, Longview, Lubbock and Midland.

Expanding to impact moms and dads in need across Texas

Marisa Phillips, Family Pathways senior director at Buckner International, has served in the ministry for more than two decades. 

Her daily work carries forward the vision of Dr. Larry Phillips and the other dedicated leaders who designed the Family Pathways program. Marisa is passionate about the positive outcomes she’s seen due to the program, and she is proud to witness the trajectory of the Family Pathways graduates throughout her community.

“After 24 years working with Family Pathways, I could tell any number of heartwarming stories about parents and kids who have come through our program,” Marisa shared. 

“What’s better is that I get to see those stories lived out around me in my community every day, and that’s the goal. From the former resident who helps fill my prescription to the one we now refer current clients to at the social service agency where she used to be the one to receive benefits, to the one employed by the school she used to attend – they are now serving others and paying it forward.”

“We follow up with them and get to follow their kids, many of whom are now adults themselves,” Marisa continued. “The example these moms have set for their kids through dedication and persistence is such a gift. The kids are doing amazing things with their lives because of what they have seen is possible. The investment in these families and their achievement is having a generational impact.”

Buckner International acknowledges the impact of Dr. Larry Phillips for working to provide equitable access to education for single parents looking to transform their families, and for his collaboration that birthed Family Pathways. 

Going ahead of every Pathways graduate is the legacy of a man who faithfully sought to fill a need. Thousands of individuals have been granted educational support, stable housing and the opportunity for future success for both them and their families due to his commitment. 

Are you a single parent looking for support while you transform your future? Find out more about the Buckner Family Pathways® program.