147 consecutive years of transforming lives through Christ’s love

Dr. R.C. Buckner collects the first $27 toward starting an orphans’ home under an oak tree during a deacons’ convention in Paris, Texas.

Charter is filed with Secretary of State in Austin, Texas. First children enter Buckner Orphans Home.

44 acres in East Dallas purchased for $500 and dedicated to care of homeless children.

First building built on Buckner Orphans Home campus for $841.10 with 8 children placed.

350 children live at Buckner Orphans Home.

Galveston is leveled by a hurricane declared one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. 100 orphans move from Galveston to Dallas and into Buckner Orphans Home.

Dr. R.C. “Father” Buckner dies at age 86.

High school building is completed and occupied through a gift of Mrs. W.J. McKie of Corsicana.

The Buckner Board elects E.L. Carnett as president.

Hospital built through a gift of Mr. and Mrs. V.L. LeTulle of Bay City, Texas.

Log cabin on Buckner property when land was purchased in 1880 and served as dedication spot for new home is given to the city of Dallas to be enshrined downtown for city’s centennial celebration. It is believed the cottage served as the first post office and courthouse for Dallas.

Buckner Haven for the Aging opens in Houston, August 15. Property and operation of a girls’ ranch in Breckenridge is turned over to Buckner as a gift by Claude Harris.

Buckner Lubbock opens. Department of Social Services is established in Dallas on June 1. Mother’s Aid, a new program giving financial help and practical assistance to single-parent families, begins in Dallas. First duplex cottages built at Buckner Haven in Houston.

Completion of change in charter allows rotation of trustees and includes ministers, women, and laypersons other than deacons to serve on board.

Marriage and Family Counseling Center opens in Dallas.

Ryburn Nursing Center and Buckner Baptist Maternity Home open in Dallas.

Buckner assumes operations of two senior living communities in Austin, Texas. Buckner takes over operations of Beaumont Children’s Home.

5-year building renovation program begins leading up to 100th anniversary of Buckner. A new nursing wing is added to Buckner Haven in Houston.

96 children and staff of Cam Ranh City Christian Orphanage, Vietnam, are received as residents of Buckner Children’s Home, Dallas, in June.

Buckner celebrates 100 years of caring for vulnerable children and seniors. Dallas recognizes Buckner Dallas as an official state landmark. A historical marker is placed on campus.

All Buckner childcare homes receive national accreditation through the National Association of Homes for Children.

Buckner Adoption Services places 3,000th child and establishes adoption support groups for children and families.

First summer sessions held at Camp Buckner in Burnet, Texas.

Buckner’s first free-standing dementia unit opens in Austin, Texas. Buckner Lufkin opens.

Ken Hall named 5th president of Buckner.

Buckner Westminster Place opens in Longview as senior living community.

Buckner sponsors first overseas mission trip to Romania. Motel-style lodge opens at Camp Buckner.

Buckner Parkway Place senior living community opens in Houston. Buckner hosts first Christian summer camps in Romania and designs and implements first foster care program in Russia.

Buckner Calder Woods senior living community opens in Beaumont. Buckner Orphan Care International expands to include China.

Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services celebrates 50 years as licensed agency. Shoes for Orphan Souls distributes more than 500,000 shoes globally.

Buckner opens new foster care programs in Russia and Kenya. Orphan care begins in Bulgaria, Latvia, Kenya, Botswana, and Guatemala.

Buckner collaborates with Star of Hope Mission to open first Buckner Family Pathways serving single parents in Houston. Dr. Albert L. Reyes is elected the sixth president of Buckner. Marks 10 years serving in Kenya. Buckner responds to Haiti earthquake by raising more than $110,000 for relief. Cam Ranh orphans return to Vietnam 35 years after arriving in Dallas at Buckner Children’s Home. Buckner begins ministry work in Sierra Leone and Dominican Republic. Government relations division begins to advocate for vulnerable children, families, and seniors.

First Honduran adoption is finalized.

Buckner awarded grant for nearly $1 million from U.S. Agency for International Development to create programs in Guatemala to provide permanent family solutions for orphaned and vulnerable children, exceeding goals of deinstitutionalizing 103 children in country. 15 years of providing Buckner Family Pathways program to single parents and their children.

Dulce, 5, receives 3 millionth pair of shoes from Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls®. Ground breaks in Longview for new children and family services campus. 20 years of international work.

Buckner NextStep program begins to serve young women aging out of foster care. Hurricane Harvey strikes Southeast Texas. 20 years of Buckner Family Pathways.

Buckner Family Hope Center at Reed Road begins operations within Star of Hope’s Cornerstone Community. Buckner senior living collaborates with Cooper Aerobics on wellness program. The Texas Rangers and Buckner collaborate to open a new Family Hope Center at the Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy at Mercy Street Sports Complex presented by Toyota.

Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls® collects the 4 millionth pair of new shoes. Samantha, 7, in the Bachman Lake area of Dallas, receives the 4M pair of shoes.

Buckner Family Hope Center® in Lubbock celebrates its grand opening. Houston Astros star Jose Altuve visits Buckner Parkways Place in Houston to wish Shirley Clark a happy 100th birthday. Ventana by Buckner opens in Dallas.

Worldwide pandemic leads to Buckner ministries shifting to offer remote services as COVID-19 shuts down most in-person programming. Dr. Albert L. Reyes celebrates 10 years as president. A Rees-Jones Foundation grant helps expand foster care and adoption services into Tarrant County.

Buckner Kenya facilitates its first-ever virtual adoption on April 30 as a COVID-19 distancing measure. Across Texas, freezing temperatures cause a lack of utilities and food due to Winter Storm Uri.

To answer the statewide issue of children staying in offices and motels, Buckner and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services provides places for Children Without Placements (CWOP) to rest and recover in a homelike setting. Children are provided respite care by CPS staff at foster care campus homes in Beaumont, Dallas, Lubbock, Midland and the Rio Grande Valley.

Buckner celebrates 50 years of work in Rio Grande Valley.

Buckner Kenya staff present recommendations for countrywide adoption system to Parliament. Soon after, Kenya’s president signs Children’s Bill 2021 into law.

70th anniversary of Buckner becoming a licensed adoption agency.

An 8-year-old boy in Oaxaca, Mexico, receives the 5 millionth pair of new shoes from Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls®.

Buckner Parkway Place celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Ribbon cuttings for new Buckner Family Hope Centers in Midland and Donna.

The Stayton at Museum Way in Ft. Worth becomes the 7th senior living community owned and operated by Buckner Retirement Services.

Buckner purchases a 6.88-acre property in north Houston that serves as a campus for Buckner Children and Family Services. In June, the Buckner Family Hope Center at Aldine relocates to the new campus.

Buckner launches children and family strengthening service operations in Ethiopia.