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KINGSVILLE - At a recent basketball game, the Santa Gertrudis Academy Lions Varsity basketball team delivered toys and a check to The Ark in Calallen.

The Ark started serving youths in 1971 with the establishment of the New Life prevention program for girls, followed by the Turnaround prevention program for boys.

According to their website, The Ark can accommodate 37 children ages 0 through 17 years old and is the “only licensed facility within an 80-mile radius that is contracted by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to provide emergency shelter and assessment services for the children who have been physically abused, sexually abused or neglected by parents or guardians.”

The shelter is licensed to care for children from anywhere in Texas.