December 18, 2000
Buckner Bucks reward children who are nice
___By Russ Dilday
___Buckner News Service
___DALLAS--Whether or not Santa is watching to see who's naughty and nice this Christmas, the cafeteria ladies at three Dallas-area schools are.
___A special Christmastime program piloted by Buckner Children and Family Services of North Texas uses free toys and other merchandise as an incentive for good behavior for children in these public schools.
___Through the Buckner Bucks program, students at Moseley Elementary and L.L. Hotchkiss Elementary in Dallas and Seabourn Elementary in Mesquite earn play dollars for exhibiting good citizenship. These play dollars, or Buckner Bucks can be exchanged for donated gifts in the Buckner Mart on the Buckner Children's Home campus in Dallas.
___Tim Allen, who is coordinating Christmas activities for Buckner, said the Buckner Bucks program uses school employees as monitors of good behavior.
___"Students who are 'caught' exhibiting the behavior of the week, such as kindness, forgiveness, honesty, responsibility and others, are rewarded with Buckner Bucks," Allen explained. "Buckner Bucks are distributed by teachers, counselors, kitchen helpers, bus drivers and other caregivers at the schools."
___The object of Buckner Bucks is "to encourage daily attendance, good citizenship, scholastic improvement and good manners," said Felipe Garza, regional director for Buckner Children and Family Services of Central Texas. "It has provided these schools with a comprehensive way to change the overall atmosphere of the school and attitude of the students."
___It also appeals to donors, Allen said, because "Buckner Bucks gives donors a way to help needy children during the holiday without the recipients feeling that they are getting a handout. Rather, they earned their gifts."
___After the students complete their shopping, Buckner Children's Home residents and children participating in other Buckner sites and programs such as Buckner Services to At Risk Youth also redeem their Buckner Bucks money for goods. The Buckner Bucks program serves a large population of at-risk children and those from families with limited resources.
___ Pointing out that many of the children shop for friends and family members rather than for themselves, Garza said the program also is "an opportunity for the children to experience the joy of giving."
___"For many, this is the only opportunity they have to get a gift for their loved ones," he explained. "It is heartwarming to see brothers and sisters pooling their bucks to buy a set of dishes for a grandmother or a new toaster for mom."
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