About Our Chapter
Mission
As part of the national For the Children organization, our mission is to promote physical, emotional, and spiritual healing for child victims of neglect, abuse, and abandonment through intervention programs, education, and advocacy.
Programs
At South Dallas For the Children, our primary offering to impact the lives of children who have been abused and neglected is an annual summer camp. Royal Family Kids Camp is offered each summer for campers ages 6-12 years old.
Values
Dignity
Courage
Belonging
Prevention
Security
Transformation
Our Chapter: How We Started
South Dallas For the Children was established as South Dallas Royal Family Kids in the summer of 2011. Since that time, volunteers from South Dallas and Ellis Counties, TX have come together each summer to provide a week of filled with meaningful moments to cherish for a lifetime.
Our chapter is sponsored and supported by Trinity Church of Cedar Hill, Texas and Southwestern Assemblies of God University of Waxahachie, TX. Alongside our sponsoring church and university, many area churches partner with us annually to provide volunteers and resources so that we can continue to provide camp each summer.
13
Years
683
Campers
125
Average Number Volunteers Each Year
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
“There were lots of, “I didn’t realize” kind of moments at RFK.
I didn’t realize that when I prayed for revelations of God’s love over the kids and counselors, that I would see people loving and being patient with the children like God has loved and been patient with me.
I didn’t realize that past memories of abuse would be expressed in the way kid’s play and that we could redirect those memories into fun teaching moments.
I didn’t realize how going to change kids’ lives quickly turned into getting my life changed.
I have partially realized and fully loved living out James 1:26 NLT -
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
— Vince, Camp Volunteer
“Camp means FAMILY to me! We get to pour into each child that walks into camp and just show them love. I continue to be a part of camp because I want to make an impact to each child who I come a cross with and show them love.”
— Yahaira, 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.
