Victor Valley Times

Sen. Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita) has recognized Lost Angels Career Center as Senate District 21’s Nonprofit of the Year. At a celebration event on Saturday, June 1, Senator Wilk joined the Antelope Valley community in honoring Lost Angels and presented the organization’s founder, Aaron Valencia, with a California Senate Resolution.

“What Aaron and Lost Angels have accomplished, and continue to build, is remarkable. Through good old-fashioned hands-on work, Lost Angels helps disadvantaged youth feel empowered, find their calling, and land a mortgage-paying job,” said Senator Wilk. “Aaron’s story of turning his life around is an inspiration, and his mission to invest back into the Antelope Valley is 100% worthy of recognition. It’s my pleasure to recognize Lost Angels as Nonprofit of the Year. Congratulations!”

Lost Angels Career Center serves disadvantaged youth, families, and distressed communities through vocational training, social enterprise, and traditional outreach programs.

Executive Director and Founder Aaron Valencia is a custom classic car builder known for creating award-winning cars. His passion for helping youth stems from his own difficulties growing up and experiences with drugs and jail. After turning his life around, he pursued classic car restoration and started his own business. Before founding Lost Angels in 2014 as an afterschool program focused on mentorship and skills training in classic car restoration, Valencia volunteered at Grace Resources as a Hot Meal Leader for several years.

For his efforts, Aaron has received the CNN Hero award and has been featured on the Jay Leno Show, Miller's “We Build," Tekton Tools’ “Find What’s Real," and Lowrider Magazine’s "Roll Models."

Lost Angels offers vocational training skills such as welding, bodywork, 3D printing, and plasma cutting. Employer partners include Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, NASA, and Stratolaunch. In addition to vocational skills training, Lost Angels also provides soft skills education including interview preparation, financial literacy and budgeting, professional etiquette, and behavior.

Aaron aims to provide young people with tools for success that open doors to opportunities improving their quality of life. He focuses on teaching and empowering youth in the community to rise above their circumstances.

"It's amazing to see what our youth have been able to accomplish over the last 10 years,” Aaron said at Saturday’s event. “I'm grateful every day for the opportunity to uplift young people and help them realize their value. I'd like to thank Senator Wilk's office for this honor and the recognition of their success."

Click HERE To learn more about Lost Angels.