Star Properties Helps Send Children in Foster Care to Camp

The team at Star Properties Real Estate in the Rio Grande Valley continued its annual tradition of helping send children in foster care to summer camp with new backpacks. A donation of 13 backpacks full of summer items was delivered on June 21 to the Buckner Rio Grande Children's Home. The backpacks will help five foster families affiliated with Buckner Foster Care and Adoption to attend Camp Buckner near Burnet, Texas from July 24 to 27.

Star Properties has donated the backpacks to Buckner and the foster families served by the nonprofit since 2018. The backpacks each contain towels, games, sunglasses, water bottles, and snacks for the kids.

In addition to the backpacks, Star Properties donated more than 30 welcome kits children staying at the Buckner Rio Grande Children’s Home as a result of the April 21 memorandum of understanding signed between Buckner and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

The welcome kits consist of drawstring backpacks full of snacks to help the children during a time of transition. Anyone in the community can help donate welcome kits to the children and CPS workers staying at Buckner campuses. For more information, click here.

Serving vulnerable children in the community is something very important to Marilyn Hardison, the owner of Star Properties. This year’s collection of items and donation to Buckner was led by Star Properties agents June Leidner Olsen and Tracy Nicks.

“Star Properties Real Estates care greatly for the children Buckner serves,” said Monica Skrzypinski, gift officer for Buckner. “In addition to helping send children off to camp in style, Marilyn and her team wanted to make sure the kids being served through our collaboration with DFPS also feel loved and supported. It’s an offering that comes straight from their heart.”

Camp Buckner is owned and operated by Buckner International. For more than 30 years, Buckner has helped provide life-changing camp experiences for children and families across Texas, including in the Rio Grande Valley, by sending them to Camp Buckner. The camp is also open to the general public for vacation, summer camp, and retreats. For more information, visit Buckner.org/Camp-Buckner.

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.