Henry Sanchez is on his way to turning his life into a success story. But it wasn’t always that way. Born in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Los Angeles in 1986, Henry grew up poor, unmotivated, and when he was all of 13 years of age, began making the wrong choices in his life.

     Primary among these poor choices was deciding to hang out on the street, gravitate toward the gang lifestyle of the Pico-Union district, and view his education as something he could do without. People started noticing Henry. Irene Lewis, the administrator of The Salvation Army’s Red Shield Youth and Community Center in Pico-Union noticed a thirteen year old boy with many fine qualities who would sometimes venture into the youth center, drawn to its athletic programs. The Los Angeles Police Department noticed him too, and even told Irene that either she was going to “get” Henry or they eventually would.
      When one of Henry’s best friends died in a gang shooting, he began to reevaluate his decision making methodology and began choosing wiser. He chose to make Red Shield his “home” as opposed to the street. He soon joined Red Shield athletic clubs and availed himself to the many other programs and youth activities Red Shield offered as an alternative to life on the street.
      Henry is a young man now. He is working in a supervisory capacity as a security officer in a Southern California mall.  But the police may be getting Henry after all. Enrolled in Los Angeles Community College, Henry intends to complete his education and embark on a career as a probation officer or counselor in the juvenile justice system where he will be able to show by example, that the programs and social work of The Salvation Army not only mends the mistakes of the past, but promises renewed hope for a future.