The Children’s Center Needs Help But Also Offers Of Hope

The Children’s Center Needs Help but also Offers Hope
THE ARRIVAL OF summer means Terry Keel braces for more youngsters find their way to The
Children’s Center.
It also means Terry Keel needs help.
The doors of the Galveston-based Children’s Center will remain open, yet it faces the daily
challenge that comes with providing proper care and protection for the over 40 youth that
current reside there. A steady stream of donations has helped, but there is always a need for
more than money. Volunteers are needed for cooking, cleaning and mentoring. Experienced
hands are needed to give hope to those without it.
“Getting the word out has been a challenge,” said Keel, who is the president of The Children’s
Center, which has held its doors open since 1878. “The steam that we get – and God bless those
who donate – just doesn’t meet the demand we have. We do also get weekly donations, but
there is always something we need.”
Summer time also presents a challenge that faces The Children’s Center: feeding those who
come in and out of the location.
In an area where the number of school-aged children living in poverty hovers over 60 percent
(numbers are higher in some cities in Galveston County), summer increases the odds of many of
them missing the two free meals that came from attending school. The overall numbers are
even higher as there are hundreds of children who are counted as homeless.
“We feed daily over 100 families and their children,” said Keel, “but organizing is a struggle. We
have the locations for everything, but it’s just a labor-intensive situation that is in need of more
labor.”
The need for volunteers is more pronounced when it comes to teenagers.
“The kids middle school and older are the most critical age group,” said Keel. “It’s a difficult
period to begin with, and to try to grow up while not having a place to stay is heartbreaking for
many of them. So many of them get a bad reputation because they are living here, but that is
not the case most of the time.”
The bright light for The Children’s Center is that there are examples of those who are able to
build fresh starts. The most recent example is Lexer Soto, who arrived at the center on his 18 th
birthday. A native of Honduras, Soto gained Permanent Residency status and worked his way
through school as a single parent.
Soto completed his Associate’s Degree at Galveston College before being awarded full
Citizenship. He graduated from College of the Mainland’s Law Academy and will begin working
as an officer with the Houston Independent School District’s Police Department.
“He is a model for what is possible,” said Keel, who added that The Children’s Center is home to
at least three other Galveston College students who are on pace to receive degrees. “Lexer was
a living role model, and while we will miss him, what he achieved is an inspiration.”
To volunteer at The Children’s Center, visit their website at thechildrenscenter.com.