The Burke Center for Youth

In Honor of our Veterans, the boys at Burke Center for Youth will be in attendance at the celebration at Dripping Springs Middle School on Friday, November 11. This event is sponsored by the Dripping Springs Rotary Club. The boys will assist in serving the meal to the public. This event’s special guest speaker, Col. Jeanne Arnold, is an active board member for Burke Center.

Earlier in the day, on 11-11-11, the boys will honor Veterans at the front of the ranch by having 11 minutes and 11 seconds of silence……..

Veterans, We Honor Your Service To Our Country

Burke Center for Youth is a multi-faceted organization in Texas that provides help and hope to children in crisis. We serve abused and neglected boys and girls of all ages. We also provide treatment services for troubled teenage boys from stable homes whose parents have tried everything. We offer three main services:

Adoption Services - For children who are unable to be reunited with their birth families, we work to find families who are willing to open their heart and their home to children who need a family to call their own. We do Matched Adoptions and Foster to Adopt. If you are interested in providing a loving home for a child please contact us.

Pathfinders Ranch Boys Treatment Program - A highly structured treatment program designed to help adolescent boys who have demonstrated destructive, dangerous or assaultive behaviors. Our goal is to stabilize them and help them to discover their strengths and use them. If you want more information about getting help for your son contact us.

Foster Care Services - We provide on-call emergency placement families who are ready to take children recently rescued from abuse and/or neglect. We have homes with special skills including the ability to serve children with autism, mental retardation, emotional disorders, and medically fragile needs. We also have families who specialize in helping adolescents who need to be prepared for independence as they get older. I am interested in becoming a foster parent.

The Story Of Tommy

When Tommy was three, I went to visit him as well as my daughter and her husband. I wanted to surprise them because I had not seen Tommy since he was 12 months old. I lived almost two thousand miles away from them.

I had driven for thirty three hours only stopping to "rest my eyes". I didn't have enough money to stay in hotels. It was about 2pm when I knocked on the door. No-one answered. I tried the knob and it was open so I decided to go in. I yelled out to let everyone know that I was there. No-one answered. As I was walking, I heard a strange whimpering sound. I thought maybe it was a new puppy. I began walking toward the sound. I discovered that it was coming from the basement. As I walked down the basement stairs I began to get a sick feeling but I wasn't sure why.