Kids & Family
Bikers deliver toys to vulnerable children served by Buckner
On Saturday, the South Texas Law Dogs formed a motorcade to bring toys and Christmas cheer to the Buckner Rio Grande Children's Home.
Bikers in the Rio Grande Valley once again came together this past Saturday, Dec. 1 for the 8th annual Buckner Toy Run, organized by the South Texas Law Dogs and benefiting Buckner Children and Family Services in the Valley.
The bikers, almost 80 in total and many of whom are current or retired law enforcement officers and emergency service personnel, met in the morning at the parking lot of KGBT CBS Channel 4 in Harlingen, where they formed a motorcade to travel to the Buckner Rio Grande Children's Home in Mission, operated by Buckner International.
Nearly 100 children residing at the Buckner Rio Grande Children's Home received new toys collected by the South Texas Law Dogs. The kids also had the chance to meet Santa while enjoying holiday treats and games.
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The Buckner Rio Grande Children's Home provides foster care to children ages birth to 17 in three large foster homes on campus. Additionally, Buckner Foster Care and Adoption works with Community Foster homes throughout the Valley to provide a structured home environment to help children heal and recover from family crisis or neglect.
The Monitor newspaper spoke with the president of the South Texas chapter of the Law Dogs, Allen Flores, about the event: “This is what I live for. When you see the joy and the warmth of the children, it brings tears to your eyes,” said Flores. “I get emotional just talking about it. We try to reach out to them as much as we can.”
Find out what's happening in Harlingenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Buckner Rio Grande Valley, based in Mission, is a faith-based nonprofit ministry dedicated to transforming the lives of vulnerable children, families and senior adults. Buckner Rio Grande Valley is an extension of Buckner International, which was founded in 1879 in Texas and today serves people in the United States and internationally through a variety of programs designed to protect children and build strong families.
Buckner’s programs include foster care and adoption, family transition programs, community-based family preservation programs and retirement services for senior adults. Buckner also provides humanitarian aid and crisis relief to poverty-stricken children and families. Learn more and get involved at Buckner.org/Rio-Grande-Valley.