Grammy Award winner spends
Valentine’s Day with abused, neglected girls
Feb. 15, 2006

Canyon Lake, TX - Grammy Award winner and central Texas native Rick Trevino made a special Valentine’s Day visit to the New Life Children’s Center for abused and neglected girls at Canyon Lake on Tuesday. Trevino toured the center and learned what a day at New Life was like. He made time to talk with each girl and shared stories and songs in a live performance.

“As children of abuse and neglect, these girls never knew what a loving Valentine’s Day was,” said New Life Director of Volunteers Veronica Hernandez. “That’s why a celebrity making time to visit these girls on Valentine’s Day is truly special.”

Every girl had smiles on their faces as they sang along to Trevino’s most popular songs. Trevino also made sure each girl received a personalized autograph after the show.

“This is so exciting!” said New Life resident Jill, whose real name cannot be released because of confidentiality reasons. “I never thought someone famous would come visit me. I’m going to keep his autograph forever.”

“As a parent, it is hard for me to see children without loving and caring adults in their lives,” said Trevino. “That’s why I thought it was important to visit New Life, to show these children that there are people who care.”

Trevino’s visit to New Life is a prelude to his performance at the annual Make a Difference, “Celebramos Nueva Vida” (Celebrate New Life) fund-raiser. The March 4 gala at the beautiful Barton Creek Resort in Austin will benefit New Life. In addition to Trevino’s performance, live and silent auctions will be held with the goal of raising more than $100,000 for the girls of New Life. Advance reservations for the event are $100 per person and can be purchased by clicking here or calling (512) 706-7518.

More than 1,100 girls have had their lives transformed at New Life Children’s Center since it opened in 1993. New Life makes a difference in the lives of girls ages 11 to 17 who suffer from severe emotional and behavioral problems, mostly as a result of past abuse and neglect. New Life provides a safe and structured environment where the girls can receive therapy, attend school, enjoy recreational activities and are offered spiritual care to help them overcome the obstacles of their tragic pasts.

For more information about New Life and how you can help, please call (830) 964-4390 or click here.

New Life is an affiliated ministry of Lutheran Social Services, the social arm of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. LSS annually serves more than 30,000 children, elderly and poor in Texas and Louisiana regardless of religious beliefs, ethnicity, gender or age. Its nationally accredited affiliated ministries include children’s residential treatment, foster care, adoption, health care and retirement centers, emergency assistance, adult day care and disaster response.