DALLAS — Albert L. Reyes was elected as the sixth president in the 131-year history of Buckner International Jan. 22, succeeding Kenneth L. Hall, who remains with Buckner as Chief Executive Officer.

Reyes served previously as president of Buckner Children and Family Services, a position he has held since 2007. Prior to joining Buckner, he was president of Baptist University of the Americas in San Antonio.

Scott McIlveene, chair of the Buckner board of trustees, said Reyes was the only candidate considered to replace Hall, who was elected to the post in 1993. Reyes will report directly to the board of trustees.

“Dr. Reyes brings the perfect mix of vision, passion and intellect to the task, especially at this point in the history of Buckner,” McIlveene said. “We are uniquely poised as a ministry to move forward like never before, thanks to tremendous work of Buckner’s previous five presidents.”

Reyes, who becomes the first non-Anglo to lead Buckner since its founding in 1879, said, “I understand that with such a great honor come great challenges and opportunities.

“The orphans, vulnerable children, families, and elders served by Buckner depend on us to make their lives better,” he said. “That is tremendous honor, but also a serious responsibility.”

Hall continues in his role as CEO, also reporting to the trustees, while working closely with the staff of Buckner Foundation to secure financial support for the work of Buckner. He will also serve as a consultant to Reyes.

As president of Buckner, Reyes will manage the organization’s nearly $100-million annual budget, while overseeing the daily operations of more than 1,300 employees worldwide. Those operations include work through Buckner Children and Family Services’ domestic and international ministries and Buckner Retirement Services’ seven senior living communities in Texas.

A native of Corpus Christi, Texas, Reyes earned his bachelor of business administration in management from Angelo State University and his master of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as the doctor of ministry from Southwestern. He completed his doctor of philosophy degree from Andrews University in 2009.

He served as founder and pastor of Pueblo Nuevo Community Church in El Paso, Texas for seven years before becoming president at BUA. He also served as pastor of churches in Dallas. From 1981-88, he was a manager for the National Customer Service Center for Sprint.

“Buckner as a ministry and those served by Buckner owe a great debt of gratitude to Ken Hall for the great leadership he has given the past 16 years,” Reyes said. “My vision is to build on what Dr. Hall has started – to go farther and faster with God’s help.”

Reyes and his wife Belinda have three sons, Joshua, David and Thomas. They are members of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas.

Click here to watch a video about Albert Reyes.

Click here to read a feature story about Albert Reyes from Buckner Today.

Buckner and its international adoption affiliate, Dillon International, announced Wednesday that the organizations will collect funds to bring medical relief following the Tuesday earthquake that rocked Haiti, killing thousands.

Deniese Dillon, executive director of Dillon International, said donations were being sent to Dillon and Buckner to be forwarded to Gladys Thomas’s Hope Hospital, which has received many casualties from the quakes.

“We’ve worked with Gladys for 25 years,” Dillon said. “Our background has been placing orphan children from her Hope Hospital and Haiti Home for Children with adoptive families.” Gladys Thomas also serves as director for Dillon’s Haitian adoption programs.”

The funds will be used to offset the needs Hope Hospital will meet over the next several weeks.

Dillon said “Gladys will be bringing people to her hospital and she’ll be overflowing with victims. We’re collecting funds to purchase gasoline for the generators, food and additional medical supplies.”

Sergio Ramos, director of Buckner International’s Latin American initiatives in Peru, Dominican Republic and Honduras, said he’s received “many, many calls from supporters expressing their desire to help the people of Haiti. We considered that a mandate to give. Providentially, Dillon had a connection there that will make a great impact in response to this horrible event.”

Dillon said she had spoken to Thomas Wednesday morning and “learned that the Children’s Village and Hope Hospital are okay. There has been some flooding and one of the walls on a building collapsed, and many people are gathering in this location but otherwise all is well. The Village (orphanage) has food, but the children are scared. There will be many people throughout the Haitian community that will continue to come to Hope Hospital looking for care…it is already very full with earthquake victims.”

To make a donation now for disaster relief to Haiti, click here.

A new decade is upon us, and there are more orphans and vulnerable children in need than ever before. Resolve to do something in 2010 to make a difference for one – or more – of the 300 million children at risk in the world.

Below are several options for the ways you can be involved in making life better for children and families this year.

1. Consider adoption. You may have never considered taking a child into your home, but this might just be the year to do so. Do you have extra room in your home and heart for a child who may have never known the love of family? Adoption is a profound way to do your part in making life better for orphans – and it’s more affordable than you think. Scholarship support, grants and tax credits go a long way in making this option a reality for your family. Learn more about adoption domestically with Buckner (beafamily.org) and internationally with Dillon International (dillonadopt.com). Or give us a call and we’ll help you know your options.
2. Collect shoes. One of the easiest ways to count your impact for children is through hosting a shoe drive for Shoes for Orphan Souls. Each pair of new shoes collected represents a child who will know God’s love in a tangible way. Many orphans receive old, misfit hand-me-down shoes and have never owned anything new they can call their own. This simple gift makes a big impact in their lives and reminds them that they are loved. Find out about the ways you can host a shoe drive in your church or community in 2010 at www.shoesfororphansouls.org.
3. Give your resources. The ministries of Buckner depend on the faithful support of donors who recognize the opportunity to create change through their financial gifts. Regular monthly donations can make the biggest impact on Buckner’s ministries because of their steady support. The Voice program at Buckner allows for monthly giving at just $25 a month and can help support any number of our international programs. You can even designate where you want your gifts to go. Contact a Buckner Foundation gift officer at 214-758-8050 today to learn about the ways you can be a blessing to others in this way.
4. Volunteer. Opportunities for volunteerism abound at Buckner. Consider becoming a respite care provider for foster families in Texas; volunteer to help sort shoes at the Buckner Center for Humanitarian Aid in Dallas; or learn about the ways you can mentor a child or participate in one of our after-school programs statewide. Contact us to learn more about the options where you live at volunteers@buckner.org.
5. Take a mission trip. Buckner arranges for dozens of individuals and church groups to travel and visit our ministry locations worldwide where teams can participate alongside national staff in ministering to orphans, hosting medical and dental clinics, providing manual labor and more. Their support is critical in helping Buckner staff, sometimes in remote locations, access materials and manpower needed to help impoverished children and communities. Learn more about missions opportunities with Buckner at www.itsyourmission.com or call Susan Williams, director of missions support, at 214-381-1442 or 1-877-7ORPHAN.
6. Commit to pray. One of the most powerful ways you can support our ministries in 2010 is to commit to pray. Our weekly prayer e-newsletter provides prayer needs and praises for God’s work through our ministry. Your commitment to prayer for Buckner can help us meet our goals for building God’s kingdom in 2010. Sign up for the prayer e-mail here and make a commitment to prayer.

What are you going to do to help orphans, vulnerable children and families in 2010? Use the comment feature below to tell us what you’re going to do.