daughter Leslie overheard her prayers. She leaned close to her mother and whispered, “Mommy, don’t worry. We will have a home.” For Maria Elena and her daughters, relief came in the form of the Buckner Family Hope Center located near their home. They imme- diately received food assistance and began attending educational classes and devotions at the center. The family participated in the family coaching program and Maria Elena worked with a family coach to develop a financial, spiritual and emotional plan to help improve the family. Maria Elena and her daughters even obtained psychological help from a therapist to help process some of the hardships they were facing. The Hope Center brought life to Maria Elena and her daughters. At
first they were shy and reserved, but over time, they came to trust the Buckner staff. They smiled. They laughed. They felt safe.
In January 2015, the Hope
Center gave children in the Jocotenango community new shoes distributed through Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls®. Little faces shone with joy when presented with new athletic shoes. Maria Elena’s 5-year-old-daughter, Dulce, re- ceived a special pair of shoes (at left). Her pink and white ath- letic shoes were the 3 millionth pair of shoes distributed though
Shoes for Orphan Souls. There was an excited buzz throughout the courtyard as she received her shoes. Dulce grinned enthusiastically. Dulce looked up in anticipation as Family Coach Perla Maldonado
laced her new shoes on her feet. She immediately leaped to her feet to test them out. She jumped in the air, arms flaring, dark pigtails flying. Her mother and sisters gathered around her, happiness shining from their faces. But back at home, the darkness edged ever closer. Oscar fell deeper and deeper into alcohol’s pit. He couldn’t hold a job, and the little earnings he received he used to buy more alcohol. He was rarely home with his family and the few moments he was home, he displayed violent outbursts that sometimes ended in abuse. Maria Elena and her daughters huddled in fear at home. “My life at that time was very sad,” Maria Elena reluctantly
confessed. She doesn’t like to speak about that time in their life. By May, the family was so behind in their rent, they were weeks
away from being evicted. Their life never seemed more troubled. Buckner President and CEO Albert Reyes came to visit the family who received the 3 millionth pair of shoes. He traveled to their
18 BUCKNER TODAY • Spring 2016
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56