Brothers "Pedro" and "Rafael" (not pictured above) are now in college at UC San Diego and Cal State Northridge. They are studying hard, planning careers and living full lives. But their lives could have gone in an altogether different direction. The brothers grew up in a neighborhood rife with gang violence, illiteracy, poverty and lack of hope.

When the boys were five and three years old, they came to Catholic Charities’ El Santo Niño (ESN) community center to participate in the School Readiness program. The program prepared them with the cognitive, social and emotional skills necessary to compete with their more affluent peers in the educational system. The boys both continued with the El Santo Niño program as they grew. As grammar school students, they came to ESN for its nurturing, academic after-school program. In high-school, they participated in organized social activities and field trips, while receiving tutoring when needed.

ESN provided the brothers with resources, school supplies, and social-emotional support, not to mention a busy schedule, that supported the boys in avoiding the area's ubiquitous gang culture. The boys were even helped in getting part-time jobs so that they could buy school clothes and have some spending money. Pedro and Rafael were also guided by qualified staff and volunteers at the center in researching and applying for college.

In this neighborhood where most boys are recruited into gangs in middle school and where the majority of residents are uneducated and unemployed, Pedro and Rafael are paving new ground. Without El Santo Nino, they could have very easily drifted onto a self-defeating path. Instead, their lives are full of opportunity and hope for the future.