By Town Crier Report

The Challenge Team, a community-based, non-profit partnership of students, school districts, police departments, community organizations, parent groups and health service groups, is honoring youth leaders Bob Adams of Los Altos and Oscar Garcia of Mountain View at a breakfast 7-8:30 a.m. May 11 at Michaels at Shoreline restaurant.

Adams and Garcia will be presented Champions of Youth awards for their service in the community. The keynote speaker will be Richard Santana, former gang member turned Harvard graduate, talking on “Motivation, Change, Diversity, Education.”

Adams is being honored for his work with Partners For New Generations. Adams has led the group, run through the Los Altos Rotary Club, which matches at-risk youth with adult mentors.

Garcia grew up in Mountain View in a large Hispanic family. He attended Mountain View schools and was the first in his family to go to college. He works with his brother Marco with the group Mesa de la Comidad.

Challenge Team members collaborate to prevent gang activity and alcohol, tobacco and other drug use. The Challenge Team began in 1987 in response to a “challenge” presented to California’s communities by the California State Attorney General’s office.

After attending the conference, “Our local team was inspired to support and create programs to help our youth make positive decisions and live healthy lives,” reads a Challenge Team statement provided by chairwoman Gay Krause. “Now, as then, our youth face challenges including violence, diversity and substance abuse.”

To attend the breakfast or for more information, call Krause at 949-7113 or e-mail krausegay@foothill.edu.