Hollister
– Mark Lofton eyes the flame-red ’67 Chevelle Super Sport
carefully, turning to his friends to point out some of the
detailing.
Hollister – Mark Lofton eyes the flame-red ’67 Chevelle Super Sport carefully, turning to his friends to point out some of the detailing.
The 13-year-old is three years away from getting behind the wheel of a car, but that hasn’t stopped him from working under the hood. As he looks at the cars at Mainstream Autobody, his eyes light up.
“That’s all I want to do, just work on cars,” Lofton said.
On Thursday, eighth-graders at Santa Ana Opportunity School had a chance to come in to the locally owned auto body shop to learn about how to be successful adults and to learn about alternatives to joining gangs.
“This is a project to show the kids there’s a lot to do out there. Even if you’re young, you could still be somebody,” said Hollister resident Domingo Quistian, who organized the event.
Quistian works with the Hollister Gang Task Force Advisory Board and spoke to the students about positive life choices as a part of their Fresh Lifelines for Youth classes. Fresh Lifelines for Youth is a nonprofit program that focuses on preventing crime among juveniles by educating them about the law and safe alternatives to joining a gang.
The program takes place one hour a week. A local lawyer, Chenoa Summers, runs the program at Santa Ana school. During the nine-week program, students debate the three-strike law and learn about Proposition 21, which looks at the consequences of gang-related offenses.
“Our theme is: What you don’t know will hurt you. We’re trying to give the students some good information about ‘these are the laws and these are the consequences’ so if they are faced with a situation, they will think about an alternative,” Summers said.
Quistian was one of the guest speakers to talk to the students about consequences and alternatives. One of his sons has been in prison since he was 19 and is serving 68 years. His other two sons, Daniel, 22, and Jason, 21, own and run Mainstream Autobody.
Quistian says he hopes that if the Santa Ana students see the success of the auto shop, they will be inspired to make the most of their lives.
“I know it’s very easy for them to get peer pressured. I’ve had my share of troubles and being locked up, and I don’t want anybody to go through that. I want to show them what it takes (to be successful),” Quistian said.
Alice Joy covers education for the Free Lance. She can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 336 or at [email protected].
