On Sat., Aug. 3, 2024, Buckner International held a ribbon cutting and grand opening community event for our new Buckner Children and Family Services location in North Houston on Sweetwater Lane. The campus was purchased recently and opened to provide services to the community previously served by the Buckner Family Hope Center at Aldine. However, with this new space, Buckner Houston will be able to continue serving the Aldine community and now an even larger geographical area in North Houston.
The new Buckner Houston campus sits on six acres of land with a gymnasium and an abundance of space to host its Buckner Family Hope Center at Northside. There is enough room to build a future Buckner Family Pathways residential campus for single parents needing a jump-start for effective family life. In the coming months Buckner will announce a capital campaign to raise funds for this single-parent ministry needs.
Buckner's roots in Houston date back to 1955 when we opened Buckner Baptist Haven. At the request of several Baptist churches, Buckner Baptist Haven was opened to serve seniors. The campus was relocated and renamed Buckner Parkway Place located in the Energy Corridor.
Then in 2012, Buckner acquired the Aldine YOUTH Community Center, founded by Sylvia Boling in 1990. This ministry became our first Buckner Family Hope Center in Houston. However, our first impact in Southeast Texas took place in 1900 when Galveston was hit by a hurricane that would later be described as one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. Between 6,000 and 8,000 people lost their lives and even more lost their homes. Dr. R.C. Buckner personally traveled to Galveston from Dallas to move 100 children to the Buckner Orphans Home in Dallas. He returned several times later that year to offer the same home for children who had no family.
The grand opening event included remarks from Whitney Steen, director of the Buckner Family Hope Center at Northside; Jacob Paz, a participant in the Buckner Family Hope Center at Northside; Armando Walle, Texas State Representative; and Samela Macon, vice president of operations, Buckner Children and Family Services. Other special guests included Dr. Steven Turley, director of Baylor University’s Truett Seminary, Houston; Lester Leonares, member of the First Filipino Baptist Church of Houston; and several donors and friends of Buckner.
Buckner Houston also hosted a back-to-school event this same day that served 288 children preparing for the new school year. Representatives from Haliburton, Houston Astros Volunteer Corps, Texas Children’s Health Plan, pastors, and other area organizations volunteered their time to serve families.
We cut ribbons, celebrating a new beginning and a bright future to serve vulnerable children and families in Houston.
Comments