Aaron Valencia - Building Futures By Building Cars

From out of a man’s shattered childhood comes the Lost Angels Children’s Project

- Paul Gambino

Unfortunately, it’s literally impossible to go through life and not be repeatedly slapped with the heartbreaking reality that too many children grow up in an environment that is wrought with pain and suffering. Broken families riddled with parents and siblings battling substance abuse and mental illness create a childhood that is nothing short of hellish.

Many of us donate money to certain causes and give lip service to countless depressing scenarios that are realities for far too many. Aaron Valencia is a man who came from the depths of teenage homelessness and drug addiction only to pull himself up by his bootstraps and turn his life around. Despite making a “name” for himself in the custom car market, Valencia had a soulful desire to never slip into a state of complacency and forget his roots. His journey began in 2011, volunteering in the soup kitchen at the Grace Resource Center in Lancaster, California where he quickly became “Hot Meal Leader.” Eager to do more, he sold his prized possession — a Harley Davidson motorcycle — and stepped away from his work at the soup kitchen, all to make himself available to the needs of at-risk children.

That decision lead him through Southeast Asia, traveling through Chaing Rai, Thailand and, later, Laos, Cambodia. He taught English at a mountain school, helped construct a school for orphans, and assisted a non-profit helping with fresh water supply and building a playground at a school for abandoned families.

Upon returning to the states, Valencia began devoting his time to the children in his own community. It was at this time that Aaron realized he had found his calling, and merged his two passions together: restoring cars and helping children in need.