She never imagined she would be teaching this class, but with encouragement from the staff at the Buckner Family Hope Center in Peñitas, Texas, Dulce found hope, ambition and confidence. Dulce and her husband, Vicente Millan, struggled to make ends meet. Parents of eight children, they fought to make a living that could sustain them. Vicente would go to work every day and Dulce would care for the kids, but their house was in disarray, and it was difficult to pay for the things they needed. That’s when Dulce discovered the Family Hope Center.


Dulce first became acquainted with the Family Hope Center while volunteering at an elementary school. A case manager from the center came to the school to hand out backpacks full of supplies. Later, a friend encouraged her to go with her to the center. She connected with a case manager and started her case management. While at the Hope Center, Dulce learned she could earn points to have a home built for her family. To earn points, she attended educa- tional classes at the Family Hope Center. At the time, the center offered three classes: basic sewing, bow making and a financial planning course. The classes are designed to help clients become financially


stable, often allowing them to create an item to sell and supplement their income. Desirous for a house, Dulce faithfully attended a class on how


to make bows; however, the teacher was inconsistent in coming. Discouraged, Dulce asked how she was supposed to earn points if there were never any classes. Gabriel Flores, a case manager at the Family Hope Center,


noticed that Dulce had strong leadership qualities and encouraged her to teach the classes herself. At first she was hesitant because she didn’t know how to make bows, but once she applied herself to learning, she began enjoying the process.


{continued on page 46}


44 Buckner Today • WINTER 2015 ISSUE


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