Buckhorn Children Family Services, located in Perry County, Kentucky, has been a mission of the First Presbyterian Church for many years.  Once each year, during the Christmas season, the church gathers clothes, gifts and makes a monetary donation to Buckhorn.

Since 1902, Buckhorn Children & Family Services (BCFS) has provided help and support to thousands of troubled children and families across Kentucky.  Buckhorn serves hundreds of kids and well over one thousand families each year.

Buckhorn focuses its attention on the care and treatment of the Commonwealth’s most at-risk children.  Kentucky has one of the highest rates of child abuse in the nation. Recently, the number of Kentucky children removed from homes because of abuse and neglect has reached unprecedented levels.

As a private, nonprofit agency, BCFS has expanded its reach to other rural and urban areas, providing residential treatment, therapeutic foster care, crisis stabilization, and in-home family services.

Motivated by a philosophy where staff do not see a “problem child,” the professionals at BCHS believe in never giving up on a kid.  The children at Buckhorn often come from fragmented families. Many have been exposed very early in life to drug addiction, domestic violence, and poverty. Having failed previous placements, many children encounter their first experience with residential treatment.  These highly at-risk youth are challenged with mental disorders, developmental delays, and educational deficiencies. 

Through the continuum of care offered by BCFS programs, these kids find the much needed safety, structure, guidance, and sense of belonging they need to learn trust, respect, responsibility, and, most of all, hope.

Buckhorn Family Services continues to carry out the original mission of its founder, Harvey S. Murdoch, who said:  “I want every stranger in Buckhorn to see that cross first, and, if he is discouraged or sinful, to know that there is hope for him there.”