Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/18929
LONGBEACHMAGAZINE.COM 75 on donations, up and running. "For the kids, I try to keep everything free," said San Jose. Youths are provided with lunch on Saturday and, as a special reward, are sometimes treated to a movie, game of laser tag, or participation in civic events. "Every year we ride in the Veteran's Day Parade," said San Jose. Time and again, he's witnessed the value of enriching the lives of at-risk and impoverished youth. "We live six and a half miles from the ocean and some of these kids have never even been to the beach," said San Jose. "When you expose kids to things, magic happens." San Jose's foray into service began in 1994 when a close friend was paralyzed in a car accident. With a desire to help, he set out to build a ramp around his friend's house. "I started investigating the process and realized it was more complicated than putting up some pallets and plywood," said San Jose. So, he started calling people. He solicited a contractor to donate labor and materials. "The more I got involved, the more I realized how much needed to be done," said San Jose. Home Base and Home Depot assisted with kitchen and bathroom renovations. "We put in a new roof, replaced windows, the City donated a dumpster and volunteers cleaned up debris in the yard," he added. For his efforts he was awarded "Citizen of the Week." The first of many awards and accolades. Currently, San Jose is president of the Coolidge Triangle Neighborhood Association and is also involved with "Erase the Past," a program that offers free tattoo removal in exchange for community service. San Jose was born in 1940 at Community Hospital and raised in Long Beach. He ran his own business for 36 years, selling industrial engine parts. "When I retired, I started helping troubled kids in my neighborhood. I figured out how to befriend them instead of chasing them," said San Jose. Recognizing a need, he came up with some ideas and appealed to City Council to start a youth center. "One thing led to another, and I put this bike concept together. They gave me an itty bitty room in the bleachers and we started there," said San Jose. North Long Beach Future Generation Youth Center now has two divisions — Bikes 90800 and a computer lab, in conjunction with LB Parks and Recreation, that provides afterschool activities. Among its supporters are the LBPD, Long Beach Council Members, and Mayor Bob Foster. Bikes 90800 functions in the backside of the baseball bleachers in Houghton Park in North Long Beach, Thursdays and Fridays 2-5 p.m., and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday's program's structure consists of park clean-up, laps around the track; kids then read the newspaper and discuss current events; finally, roll call, flag salute, and then they get to work on the bikes. From humble beginnings, the program has evolved into a thriving entity that's served hundreds of kids and touched countless lives. Said San Jose, "I keep running across people whose lives have been transformed. That's what keeps me going." n For more information on Bikes 90800, contact 562.570-1640, or call Dave San Jose directly at 562.423.8938. For more information on "Erase the Past," visit erasethepast.com. Costa Mesa (714) 540-9700 Lakewood (562) 216-9000 Seal Beach (562) 594-0909 Buena Park (714) 761-0400 Long Beach (562) 498-5600 Huntington Beach (714) 892-2900 Torrance (310) 381-0010 Tustin (714) 832-1300 www.CharoChicken.com