Antonio Galeno and Vanesa Rodriguez take parenthood and financial classes offered at the Buckner Family Hope Center. The classes, Galeno said, help make his family strong and that is important to him. He wants to offer his children, Antonio Jesus and Dulce Candy, the best life he can give them.
“We noticed he would come into the Hope Center every day for
a couple of hours, and he was very consistent,” Ruiz said. “I realized he was very serious about completing the course and improving his business so I knew he would be a good candidate for the family coaching program. Antonio dreams big, and we’re trying to provide and connect him with the resources he needs to fulfill those dreams.” They started the family coaching program in September and have
already worked through several business goals such as finishing the DreamBuilder online course and attending a business seminar on starting a small business, as well as meet with a business counselor for counseling sessions. Now Galeno’s shop is running more smoothly. He regularly sees 30-40 clients a week and employs three other people to help him on the weekends. Recently, he opened a second shop eight miles down the road. He also continues to look for opportunities to further his business and has started creating his own line of hair products. In addition to the business goals, Ruiz helped them identify goals
for strengthening their family, and Galeno and Rodriguez regularly take financial, marriage and parenting classes through the Hope Center. Currently, the major goal they are working toward is improving their living conditions. Galeno was able to purchase some land with a small mobile home. While he is proud of his little abode, it’s tight living for the family of four. By accomplishing his goals toward self- sufficiency, being active in the Hope Center and continuing to take
classes, he and Rodriguez can qualify for having a home built for them by Buckner National Missions. “We kept watching how motivated Antonio is and how he and
Vanesa continue with the classes so we knew they were a good candidate for a home build since they are well on their way to sustainability,” Ruiz said. “We want to make sure that after building them a home, the families can continue to provide for themselves, and we know that Antonio has that spark to succeed.” Galeno and Rodriguez still need to complete a couple of classes
focused on family strengthening to qualify for the home build, including taking a fatherhood course and Work Life course, but Galeno enjoys taking them. The classes help make his family strong, and that is important to him. “I have learned patience and faith no matter how hard it looks,” Galeno says. “I started learning about faith – to just wait. Things will get better when God decides to bless you, and he will bless you. I believe things are coming, and they’re coming for good. That is amazing for me. I believe on it and I have faith everything I want is going to come.”
Want to see more photos of the Galeno family? Download the free Buckner Today app.
Spring 2016 • BUCKNER TODAY 27
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