Buckner International: Volunteer Opportunities

Dennis Catalan was lost before Suzanne Adams volunteered at the Buckner Vickery Wellness Center, a community center and after-school program in Dallas. His mother worked multiple jobs to pay the bills, and Catalan would often cook his own meals and put himself to sleep at night.

So when Catalan got in trouble at school and was placed in an alternative school, his mother didn’t know what to do. Adams stepped in.

“We knew that Dennis was in a crisis situation and needed help,” she said.

First, Suzanne and her husband, Andy, went with Dennis’s mom to file an appeal to keep him in his old school, but they were turned down. So the Adams helped Dennis to enroll in a new school, where he attends class with only six other children and plays on the basketball team. The Adams have also become involved in his daily life, taking him to school and picking him up treating him as part of the family.

The Adams have made an eternal difference in Dennis’ life all through the power of volunteering.

“He needed another chance and no one wanted to give him that,” she said. “He deserved it.”

If you would like to make a difference in the life of a child, contact us and let us know how you’d like to help. You could help throw a birthday party for a child living in residential care, tutor a child at one of our after-school programs, or work at a special event to help Buckner raise funds for its ministry and programs.

Questions? Email volunteers@buckner.org

Shoes for Orphan Souls needs volunteers throughout the year at the Buckner Center for Humanitarian Aid in Dallas to sort and process shoes for delivery to orphans throughout the world. We also need volunteers throughout the country to host or coordinate shoe drives in their local area.

Click here for more information about volunteering with Shoes for Orphan Souls

At Buckner, we believe that in order to meet someone’s emotional and spiritual needs, you must meet their physical needs first. Buckner seeks to provide humanitarian aid to improve the lives of orphans and their surroundings and to open doors to present the Gospel message in both the United States and abroad.

We collect humanitarian aid throughout the year for distribution on mission trips to international orphanages and for use in the United States to provide for families in our Family Place and Family Pathways programs, foster care programs and community ministries.

Here are some of the items consistently in high demand:

Clothing (infant through teen)
Linens
Toys
School supplies
Sewing supplies
Craft supplies (foam cut outs, stickers, etc.)
Polaroid 600 series film
Sports equipment
Toiletries
Soap
Shampoo/Conditioner
Combs & Brushes
Lotion
Toothbrushes/Toothpaste/Mouthwash/Floss
Deodorant
Feminine hygiene products
Baby care items
Baby shampoo, lotion, wash, oil, powder
Diapers & wipes
Diaper rash cream
Pedialyte
Strollers, walkers, seats, swings, etc.
Over-the-Counter Medicines (at least 6 months prior to expiration date)

Ship all humanitarian aid donations to:
Buckner Center for Humanitarian Aid
5405 Shoe Drive
Mesquite, TX 75149

Questions? Contact Andrew Knight or Jackie Belt at (214) 367-8080.

Go Somewhere.

Missions is a connection. Missions can connect you to God’s call on your life to go and serve. Missions connects God to those you serve as you bring the message of His love to those who may never have heard it. And missions connects you directly to the orphans and at-risk children you are serving, letting them know that someone loves them, cares for them and cares enough about their needs to travel across the globe for them. More Christians than ever are connecting to God’s call to serve children through direct missions involvement with Buckner. You can be a short-term missionary through Buckner International. What’s your direct missions involvement?

Visit our Missions section for more information