A safe home & a bed
Secure residential living with caring adults on site day and night.
Residential care for boys ages 7 to 17 · Dallas–Fort Worth & Houston
Every child deserves a place to come home to.
Helping Hands for Children gives boys who have survived trauma, crisis, or neglect a safe home, a bed of their own, and a path to healing. Your gift keeps the porch light on.
250+children served
4years of care
24/7supervision & guidance
100%trauma-informed
For too many children, everything they own fits in a single bag.
They arrive after a removal, a crisis, or years of being overlooked. Many have moved more times than they can count. Some of them have never had a home to call their own.
What happens next decides the rest of their lives. A safe adult. A warm meal at the same table every night. Someone who shows up for the school conference and the Friday game.
That is what we build, one boy at a time. And we cannot do it without you.
Our purpose
We nurture hope and resilience in children facing life’s toughest challenges.
Every child deserves a caring community where they can heal, grow, and flourish. Helping Hands for Children Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing trauma-informed residential care and support services to youth in need across Dallas–Fort Worth and Houston.
Our mission
To give every child a second chance and a brighter future through safety, guidance, and hope.
Our promise
To help each boy rebuild his life and become one of the future leaders our communities need.
What your gift provides
Everything a childhood should have held.
Trauma-informed care
Every staff member is trained to meet a hurting child with patience, structure, and understanding.
Therapy & emotional support
Consistent counseling and mentoring so boys can name what happened and move forward.
Tutoring & school success
Homework help, school supplies, and an advocate in every school meeting.
Life-skills training
Cooking, budgeting, job readiness, and the everyday skills of independent adult life.
Art class
Painting, drawing and creative projects that give boys a safe way to express what words can’t.
Sports & basketball
Teams, practice and game days that build discipline, confidence and friendships.
Horse & animal-assisted activities
Time caring for horses and animals teaches patience, trust and gentle responsibility.
Trips & new experiences
Outings and travel that show every boy how big his world can be.
A boy’s journey with us
From the night he arrives to the day he leads.
Arrival
A clean room, fresh clothes, a hot meal, and an adult who says, “You’re safe here.”
Stability
Routine, rest, and the same faces every day. Trust starts to grow.
Healing
Therapy and mentoring help him understand his past without being defined by it.
Growth
Grades rise. He joins a team. He learns the skills of adult life.
Future
He leaves with confidence, a plan, and a family that keeps cheering.
Life at Helping Hands
Moments that make a childhood.
Stories of change
Antonio found his stride.
Antonio is one of our young men. Today he runs track and plays football, showing up for practice, for his teammates, and for himself.
That is what stability makes possible. When a boy no longer has to wonder where he will sleep, he finally has room to dream about where he is going.
Behind every success is a donor who decided to help.
Give today
Your helping hand can change a life tonight.
Every gift goes to work for the boys in our care. Choose an amount to see what it provides. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Give by check
Payable to Helping Hands for Children Foundation, 1910 Pacific Ave, Suite 12000, Dallas, TX 75201
Corporate partnership
Sponsor a room, a season of tutoring, or a holiday for every boy in the home.
In-kind gifts
New shoes, backpacks, hygiene kits, and school supplies. See the wish list below.
Volunteer & mentor
Share a skill, coach, tutor, or help at an event.
$100 heals and teaches
Give $100 now
Tutoring, school supplies, and therapy support for a boy working to catch up and move forward.
Secure giving through our GoFundMe campaign. Prefer to give another way, give monthly, or make a major gift? Call 214-663-8328 or email kids@helpinghand4kids.com.
Wish list
Items our boys need right now
New shoes (youth & men’s sizes)
Backpacks
Hygiene kits
School supplies
Bedding & towels
Seasonal clothing
Sports equipment
Gift cards for groceries
Our people
Our people are the strength of Helping Hands.
N
Natalie Ortiz
Founder
Helping Hands was born from Natalie’s mission to give every child a second chance and a brighter future.
J
Josie Herrera
Deputy Director · Second in Command
Shares leadership decisions with our founder and runs daily operations, staffing and compliance across our homes.
C
Cheryl Reed
Program Development
Builds the programs that carry each boy from stability to growth.
A
Ashley Escobar
Office Manager
Runs the office day to day and is often the first friendly voice families and donors reach.
Board of Directors
A
Angelica Castillo
Treasurer
Oversees the Foundation’s finances, budgets and financial reporting, so every gift is accounted for and put to work for the children.
501(c)(3)Registered nonprofit
EIN 33-3098766Gifts are tax-deductible
Background-checkedEvery staff member cleared
ConfidentialChildren’s privacy protected
Tonight, a boy is waiting
Be the reason he sleeps safe.
$25 gives a hygiene kit. $50 gives new shoes. $250 gives secure housing and 24/7 care. Whatever you give, he will feel it.