Nonprofits Buckner Children and Family Services and TBM announce the launch of a collaboration to better serve vulnerable children and families in Dallas, as well as around Texas and internationally.
The two nonprofits have collaborated numerous times in their decades of service, but their joint response to last fall’s Dallas tornadoes reminded leaders from both organizations that children and families are best served when the groups cooperate.
TBM is unmatched in its ability to mobilize Christian volunteers to provide help, hope and healing in the forms of disaster relief, building projects and water purification worldwide, while Buckner Children and Family Services, part of Buckner International, has the means to provide more long-term aid and services, as well as a vast network of families around Texas and internationally who don’t have the financial means to recuperate their losses after a disaster.
“This partnership has the potential to radically transform the lives of children and families around the world,” said Mickey Lenamon, TBM executive director/CEO. “God has uniquely equipped both organizations and brought them together now for maximum impact.”
Per the agreement, TBM will “assist Buckner in foreign countries and domestic locations where TBM and Buckner both provide services.” The broad categories of service include disaster relief, construction projects, and water wells and filtration systems.
More specific areas of collaboration will include TBM’s involvement in home builds and agricultural projects for clients of Buckner in the Rio Grande Valley, water wells and school repairs in Kenya villages and home improvements in Latin America.
In turn, Buckner will aid TBM with importing humanitarian aid items into countries where Buckner has key contacts; coordinate mission trips into countries Buckner has an operational presence, such as Mexico, Dominican Republic and Kenya; and consult in areas of expertise falling under Buckner programs, such as family preservation, family strengthening and trauma informed care.
“We look at this MOU as a way to play to our respected strengths in order to best achieve our core mission of serving the most vulnerable in society,” said Dr. Albert Reyes, CEO and president of Buckner International. “Whether it’s through disaster relief or proactive approaches to helping those in need, we are excited for the impact this collaboration will have on so many people.”