Breaking the Cycle of Illiteracy and Abuse

One young man, Angel, will graduate from Glendale High School this year. His success story is truly amazing. As a school-aged boy, Angel idolized his brother who was in high school. While in high school, Angel’s brother joined a gang, started using drugs and is now in jail. Angel began to follow in his brother’s footsteps, until the Glendale Family Development Center’s Kids’ Enrichment Program and Family Development Programs took action to help Angel see that, even though he thought his brother was “tough and cool”, his brother’s choices led him to jail.

Through the special relationships staff and volunteers had earned with Angel, he learned that his brother can’t even go to the bathroom without a guard going with him. Angel began to understand that his choice in friends and how he chose to spend his time would dictate whether his future would be in a cell or as a free citizen making a positive contribution to his family and the world. Now, as a 17 year old high school senior, Angel is in ROTC, getting good grades and plans to join the Navy upon graduation. He’s an excellent example for his younger sister who also entered high school this year and, like her brother, joined ROTC! The difference in the lives of these younger siblings is not coincidence. The GFDC made Angel and his sister a target for our specific intervention through the Kids’ Enrichment Program.