About Our Chapter
Mission
To create life changing moments for children who have experienced relational trauma.
Vision
For every child to experience unconditional love, hope, and safety.
Values
Treat People Royally
Keep Moving Forward
Make Moments Matter
Abilene Chapter: How We Started
Camp #434For the Children Abilene began with one Abilene resident who began volunteering with the South Dallas Chapter in 2015. Since then the Abilene group has grown in number and continues to serve with the South Dallas Chapter to this day. During our time with them we bought into the mission of For the Children and South Dallas leadership has graciously supported us with encouragement and mentorship in bringing a Royal Family KIDS Camp to Abilene, Texas!
The summer of 2025 will be the first year of For the Children Abilene to host a Royal Family Kids Camp in our own community! We look forward to the many camps we will be a part of and the children who will be served.
Our chapter is sponsored and supported by Fountaingate Fellowship Church. Along with our sponsoring church, many other churches and businesses within the Big Country community partner with us annually to provide much needed volunteers and resources to host camp each summer.
8
Years
Serving in partnership with For The Children/Royal Family KIDS Camp
0
Year
2025 will be the first Royal Family KIDS Camp in Abilene!
0
Campers (TBA)
Campers who have been a part of Abilene’s Camp
Volunteer Stories
“This afternoon a CASA worker told me another story about two kids who will be at our camp next week. While the CASA worker was with the kids, the girl (returning camper) said to her brother (1st-time camper), ‘There's something really bad about camp I have to tell you.’ Concerned about the direction of the conversation, the CASA worker motions to the girl to stop. The girl continues, "It's the only bad thing, but it is really bad." The worker does not want the sister to say something to disappoint the brother, so she continues to motion to her to stop. The girl continues, "On Friday, you will cry because it is so hard to leave. It is the best week you have ever had, and you won't want it to end."
— Darren, Camp Child Specialist
My first year volunteering at a RFK camp was in 2017 as a counselor. That first year of camp truly changed my life in more ways than I can think of. I struggled to believe if the kids were impacted as much as I was. Needless to say volunteering the following year was a no brainer to me. I chose to be a counselor again!
That next year I was paired with a first year camper. Throughout the week we had so much fun but I questioned again whether five days really impacted him and the other campers when camp was over.
The last night of camp this camper was seated on the ground and in the corner of our room. He was stoic, staring at the floor, and not interacting with his bunkmates like he had been all week. The other boys and myself attempted to cheer him up in various ways but nothing was successful. He and I sat in silence for 30 minutes until he broke that silence with sobs.
He connected with the other kids and volunteers so much! He wanted to come back the following year to be with his RFK family but also wanted to be out of the foster care system so he can be reunited with his biological family again. He was 10 years old.
Initially I was speechless but we finished that conversation with what the Royal Family was in the context of Christ and His Kingdom. He accepted Jesus in his heart that night.
Can five days with these kids truly make a difference? Absolutely! Without a doubt in my mind!
- Zach, RFK Camp Volunteer
Same Heart, New Name, Bigger Impact.
We are now For The Children and here’s why.
For 30 years, volunteers, churches, businesses, local municipal partners and Royal Family Kids staff have dedicated their time, talent and treasures to help transform the lives of vulnerable children across the US, and world.
While RFK has formally overseen our camps and mentoring programs, the breadth of our work has evolved far beyond these two programs. Today we provide direct trauma intervention, advocacy, fostering, adoption, support to parents, and other crucial wraparound services.
While we acknowledge the expansion of our work across our 252 chapters, COVID-19 has profoundly increased the needs of children and families. Extreme gaps in fulfilling these needs cannot be overstated.
In order to address the systemic issues surrounding child welfare today, our organization must respond.
Consequently, as of November 2020, Royal Family KIDS, will officially be renamed For The Children. This transition will bring clarity to new opportunities, from providing laptops and shoes to needy children, to assisting overburdened social workers, to providing temporary shelter.
The teaching and example of Jesus in caring for “the least of these” will remain our motivation. As For The Children, we are also eager to focus on the systemic issues facing children, around the globe.
