&noscript=1 />

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 million challenge grant from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation, Inc. The grant completes the $11 million needed for land and construction of the center, which will assist one of Dallas’ most underserved communities.

 

Last year, Buckner International applied for financial assistance from the Mabee Foundation, which offered a challenge. The Foundation agreed to contribute the final $1.5 million needed toward the goal if Buckner could raise an additional $2,808,279 on top of the money the nonprofit and its supporters had already raised.

 

A local, community-led campaign titled Shining Hope Dallas is responsible for raising the majority of the money needed to construct the Family Hope Center. A total of 386 donors contributed to the Shining Hope Dallas campaign. Including the Mabee Foundation’s gift of $1.5 million, 15 other donors contributed a total of $7,795,435 to the overall campaign. These donors are Meredith and Kyle Bebee and the Miller Family Foundation, The Crystal Charity Ball, the Jasper Family, Meriam Calabria, Katie and John Golden, Hillcrest Foundation, Joyce and Larry Lacerte, The Meadows Foundation, Karen and Bryan Perry, Deena and Barry Pryor, Dr. Bob and Jean Smith Foundation, Rita Stapp, Donna and Dennis Winborn, and two anonymous donors.

 

“We are thankful for every single donor who generously gifted towards the Shining Hope Dallas campaign to bring a Buckner Family Hope Center to the people of Bachman Lake,” said Albert Reyes, president and CEO of Buckner International. “The Mabee Foundation issued a challenge to us, and the community came together and gave from their hearts in order to earn the match donation. Thank you to the Mabee Foundation for the final, generous gift that will bring hope to so many lives.”

 

Construction is underway on the 21,795-square-foot, two-story Buckner Family Hope Center at Bachman Lake, located on approximately two acres at the corner of Lombardy Avenue and Geraldine Drive. It sits strategically between multifamily housing communities and single-family homes in Bachman Lake, one of Dallas’ most economically challenged areas.

 

Bachman Lake’s community of 82,000 people, which is 93 percent Hispanic, is home to the most children ages 0-5 years in Dallas, and 93 percent of its school-age children are economically disadvantaged. The area has a Child Protective Services removal rate twice the average in Dallas County.

 

Buckner International operates 23 Family Hope Centers across Texas and in six countries. Buckner Family Hope Centers are child-centered, family-focused places where families go to find hope, support, and empowerment in their community to reach their fullest potential. Programs include family coaching, GED, ESL, computer literacy, job training, after-school and summer programs for children, parenting and financial education, spiritual enrichment, and mentoring.

 

With the capital project goal met, the Shining Hope Dallas campaign and its committee members are now working on raising an additional $3 million to serve as an operational endowment for the next three years.

 

The Buckner Family Hope Center at Bachman Lake will open in January 2020. For more information about how the Family Hope Center will benefit Bachman Lake, click here and here.

Add a Comment

Subscribe To Our Blog

Get uplifting stories of how you can shine hope in the U.S. and around the world!

We're excited to share with you all the ways you can shine hope to vulnerable children and families around the world. We invite you to stay connected with us while also growing in your own faith.

Click below to get the latest news, updates and invitations to exclusive events from Buckner. And, we'll send you spiritual encouragement through our weekly Faith Focus devotion. You won't find these stories and resources anywhere else!