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 for ways to bring joy to children around Christmas.
Pursley currently serves as the site manager for the Los Mirasoles Wind Farm in Hidalgo County, operated by Vestas. This year, he knew that he once again wanted to rally his co-workers to provide Christmas presents for vulnerable children, but being new to the Rio Grande Valley, he did not know where to look.
“When I Googled to find out what organizations helped children in the area, I immediately came across Buckner International,” Pursley said. “I loved everything I read about Buckner and the Buckner Rio Grande Children’s Home, so I called them up to see what sort of items the kids needed.”
Staff at the Buckner Rio Grande Children’s Home, which is home to 50 children in foster care, told Pursley that some of the biggest needs included luggage or duffel bags for when the children return to their families or are adopted by a new family, as well as comforters for the children’s beds when then come into placement.
Pursley asked for a list of the names of all the children, so that he and his co-workers at the Wind Farm could have each name embroidered on the child’s own duffel bag.
Altogether, the employees donated 50 new duffel bags embroidered with the kids’ names, 50 new comforters and 15 new bicycles. All of the bicycles and the majority of the other items were donated by the Hidalgo employees with Vestas supplementing the inventory in order to ensure each child received a bag and blanket.
The gifts were loaded up into a fleet of Vestas pickup trucks and delivered to the Children’s Home on Dec. 20.
“I am blessed to work for a company like Vestas that encourages us to give back to our communities, and I am thankful to have found Buckner and been able to help the kids they serve,” Pursley said. “I hope we can bring some happiness to these children’s lives and let them know they are loved and are part of a community that supports them.”
The Buckner Rio Grande Children's Home provides foster care to children ages birth to 17 in three large foster homes on campus. Additionally, Buckner Foster Care and Adoption works with Community Foster homes throughout the Valley to provide a structured home environment to help children heal and recover from family crisis or neglect.
Add a Comment