Baptist Children Family Services Research Paper

Picture this: you’re riding in a cold and wet train car with only a small understanding of where you’re going. You have no money, only the clothes on your back and the almost completely deteriorated shoes you are wearing. Your only goal is to try and make it to the place where your parents are, the land of opportunity, the United States of America. You’re traveling with a few other people who have the same goal as you, and you know that if you slip up and fall behind even the littlest bit or if you fall ill or get injured, they won’t think twice about leaving you behind. Your heart is racing because you’re trying to be as stealthy as possible so you won’t get caught and be sent back to where you came from. You’re unsure how the future will
turn out; you’re unsure if you’ll be alive in a week or even a few days. As scary as this sounds, this scenario is almost identical to the many horror stories that the young immigrants have told workers at Baptist Children Family Services, or as it is known today, BCFS. Day in and day out, workers at BCFS see children in need who have come from Central and South America, Mexico and many other places. They offer unaccompanied children assistance by giving them somewhere to live, food to eat, clothes to wear and hope for their future. They help them get in touch with their family members who have already made it to the U.S. so they can be reunited. BCFS is an organization that not only provides support for unaccompanied children who come to the U.S. in search of a better life, but also provides humanitarian services for people in need throughout the world.
BCFS used to stand for Baptist Children Family Services, but because the word “Baptist” was in the title, many believed this group only assisted people of the Baptist faith.
That is not true. BCFS helps anyone regardless of their religious beliefs. With its roots in San Antonio, Texas, BCFS has been helping children for a total of seventy-one years. It began as the Mexican Baptist Orphanage in 1944 (BCFS). The centers have now spread all over the globe. BFCS has a department dedicated to emergencies around the nation, such as when help was needed because of Hurricane Sandy off the North Eastern coast and Hurricane Katrina off the South Eastern coast, the earthquake in Haiti, and the tsunami off the coast of Sri Lanka just to name a few. Not only does BCFS now provide emergency services all over the world, but they also expanded their original orphanage and made not only child help centers but also adult help centers. Additionally, they have secured centers for visitors with anger issues or mental disorders that restrain them from being in the same facility as other immigrants, and have established centers for training adults to be foster parents (About BCFS). This is only a small variety of what BCFS has to offer. The nonprofit organization does not want to limit the extent of their helping hand, so they say they will help any less fortunate or vulnerable civilian, no matter what race, gender, or religion they may
be.
Many U.S. citizens have negative attitudes towards some of the unaccompanied travelers to the U.S. , and treat them cruelly. They believe that by bringing these people into our country, there will be an increase in crime and gang activity. This is not the case. What many do not understand is that these unaccompanied travelers are coming from the murder capitals of the world looking to be rescued. They are not trying to bring crime to their new homes; they are trying to escape the crime they have experienced in their home countries. “According to the commissioner for refugees, asylum requests from Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala are up 712% since 2009 in the neighboring countries of Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Belize” (Mathema). These child refugees are escaping to anywhere they can find safety.
Another concern about these unaccompanied travelers is that some people do not realize how bad the refugee’s home situations are, so they want them to be deported. Unfortunately, when these refugees are deported, they are put back into the danger and the violence they are trying to escape. Others also do not realize that many of these children already have family living in the U.S. legally. Some of the family members have lived in the U.S. for many years working at steady jobs and becoming contributing citizens. They just want their families to be reunited. BCFS realizes the importance of helping these children and their families to find one another to live happier lives (Trejo).
BCFS does not only try to help unaccompanied children stabilized their lives by reconnecting them with family, but they also provide the necessities to survive. Patricia Trejo, a trainer at one of the BCFS offices in Harlingen, Texas, explains, “It’s called Educational Programming. They learn English, math, science, history, all the fun stuff…they also have life skills classes.” In these classes, they teach them about the American culture to help them adapt to a new way of life. They go to school for the same amount of time as American students, and the subjects become more challenging in increments as they go up in age and skill. These students have such strong desire to learn and to do well. They aren’t the criminals or trouble makers society makes them out to be (Trejo).
The staff at BCFS is an incredible team. They are passionate about what they do and they work tirelessly to make a difference. Patricia Trejo loves being a trainer for the employees of BCFS. When she was approached by the organization to become a trainer, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to take on the responsibility. She adds, “I prayed about it because I loved what I did, but I wanted to teach people how important they are to this organization. I wanted to help them understand the impact they have on these children” (Trejo). Trainers have to teach the staff how to deal with challenging situations without setting off triggers and how to make the children feel as comfortable and safe as possible. Trejo wishes more people would see what BCFS has to offer and know how they can help.
One example of just how critical BCFS services can be is illustrated in the story of Ana, an eighteen year old woman who arrived in Laredo, Texas in 2004 to reunite with her husband. She was alone, seven months pregnant, and very afraid. She was able to find her husband, but then when she gave birth, her daughter was born with a dislocated hip and would need surgery. That is when BCFS Healthy Start was able to step in and offer Ana the assistance that she needed. She attended parenting classes where she learned how to take better care of her child and where to find the medical care her daughter needed. Ana was featured in one of the magazines that BCFS publishes to promote awareness of their services. Ana was quoted as saying, “This program is really good because it has helped me to learn how to raise my children with their classes and their advice. It helps me learn that even though life might not be easy, a person can be successful if you are determined. (Services).
Besides assisting new immigrants to the U. S., the BCFS also works closely with foster families and children who have been removed from their families because of abuse, neglect, or other problems the family may face. One of their most successful programs for working with foster children is called “No Limits.” With this program, BCFS sends buses all over the state of Texas to pick up children in foster care, and they take them to the BCFS camp, the Silver Cliff Ranch, in Colorado. The students selected for the program were the ones they wanted to reward “for maintaining high grades in school, successfully completing life skills courses, and staying focused on their goals under the guidance of their BCFS case manager” (About BCFS). Usually these children have never been out of the state of Texas, so this trip gives them an opportunity to see a new part of the country while working on activities that help them to develop self-confidence and leadership skills. Sometimes even popular athletes like the former Major League Baseball pitcher Jimmy Morris help out in the sessions to inspire the campers. Many of the campers tell amazing stories about how the camp experience affected them and how they want others to share the experience. One of the campers shared her story and said, “I did things that were out of my comfort zone…things I thought I couldn’t do. I hope to one day help other people grow the way I grew” (About BCFS). This is what makes BCFS such an amazing organization. Their efforts to help children at risk or in need become almost like a domino effect of one person helping another person who helps another and so one.
It is because of organizations like BCFS that America is still a desired country in which to live.
BCFS offers a variety of services and opportunities to those in need. They give hope to children who are afraid and do not have the security of a family. They teach classes to help adults become trusted foster parents to provide homes for children who have been displaced. They find resources to help the poor and indigent to live more productive lives. Thanks to the services of BCFS, lives are being saved and young people are being guided to become productive citizens of Texas, the United States, and the
world.