• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Forum
  • Design Studio
  • Upholstery Jobs
  • Newsletter
  • Sponsors

The Hog Ring

Auto Upholstery Community

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Auto Restoration is Saving Lives in Chicago

October 4, 2016 By Nadeem Muaddi 1 Comment

Auto Upholstery - The Hog Ring - Automotive Mentoring Group

In the midst of Chicago’s violence epidemic is a hotrod builder who is using his skills in automotive restoration to lure at-risk youth out of gangs and into garages so that they stay out of trouble, learn a new craft and become productive members of society.

Alex Levesque is an industry veteran who invests all of the profits from his restoration shop into Automotive Mentoring Group, a nonprofit organization he founded in the 1990s to give youth in South Side Chicago an alternative to gang-banging.

To recruit youth for his program, Alex regularly drives his hotrods through the city’s roughest neighborhoods. Without fail, the cars attract stares and comments from teens and young men on the streets, who he then engages in conversation — talking about everything from paint to upholstery.

He invites those who show a particular interest in the cars to participate in Automotive Mentoring Group, which — in collaboration with other automotive pros— teaches mechanic, body, paint and upholstery work.

“My belief is that the only way you can change what people do is if you change the way they think,” Alex recently told CBS Chicago.

“There is a large percentage of those gang members that want to get out of that gang life, but they don’t feel like they have an alternative.”

Automotive Mentoring Group aims to be that alternative. The program is six-months long and even helps with job placement. In fact, 85% of the program’s 300+ graduates have found work in the automotive restoration field, according to CBS Chicago.

Apparently, youth who complete the program are finding work easily because they’re talented and hardworking.

A recent article in the Chicago Sun Times observed: “The miracle of AMG doesn’t really sink in until you visit the auto shop. What you will see are classic autos that have been so meticulously restored, it is hard to believe the work was done by young men who used to stand on street corners gang-banging, drug-slinging, and getting high.”

Alex credits Automotive Mentoring Group‘s success to the allure of cars.

“I knew if I could get these younger guys involved that it would be all that they would think about — building the next car, getting the next part or going to the next show,” he told The Shop magazine in 2013. “You don’t have time to get in trouble because once you get involved with cars, it consumes all of your time and your thoughts.”

Of course, Automotive Mentoring Group isn’t the first initiative to present automotive restoration as an alternative to crime. In the past, we reported on Southern Desert Correctional Center, a Nevada prison that teaches inmates the craft of auto upholstery.

Individual upholsterers — including Edward Brumfield of Hi Class Customs in New Orlean, Louisiana — have also opened up their shops to at-risk youth and former inmates.

Their efforts aren’t in vain. In 2015, Ish Jimenez of Royal Auto Designs in North Hollywood, California — but most widely known as the charismatic trimmer on MTV’s hit show “Pimp My Ride” — told us that he was once an at-risk youth who found purpose and even world-wide fame through auto upholstery.

Initiatives like these should be celebrated throughout our industry. Not only are they saving lives and making society better, but they’re ensuring that our craft continues to live on.

Support Automotive Mentoring Group: Consider making a small donation to help Alex buy needed uniforms and tools for recruits. The organization will also accept old, beat up cars for participants to practice on.

To check out Automotive Mentoring Group‘s work, follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Filed Under: Archive, Interesting Read Tagged With: Auto Trim, Auto Upholstery, Automotive Mentoring Group, Car Interior

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jerry Sullivan says

    June 22, 2020 at 11:11 am

    Great program
    Where are you located in Chicago? I need some interior work done on several Old Mercedes
    Warm regards,

    Jerry

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

THR Sponsors

NC Sewing Machines
Miami Corporation RIght Rail - Ad 2
Top Down Group
Apex Leather
  • Premium Auto Fabrics
  • Moore & Giles Ad 1
  • GAHH Automotive
  • Albright's Supply
  • Douglass Interior Products
  • Hyde Leather
  • MasterTech Expo Ad 2
  • Keyston Bros

THR Favorites

The Hog Ring - Spotlight Customs - Spotlight Coffee

Spotlight Customs Just Launched its Own Coffee Brand

Like most trimmers, we start each day with a … [more] about Spotlight Customs Just Launched its Own Coffee Brand

Auto Upholstery - The Hog Ring - Ford Mustang Design Studio

Design Studio: 1964-66 Mustang Door Panel

If you’re a big fan of The Hog Ring Design … [more] about Design Studio: 1964-66 Mustang Door Panel

The Hog Ring - Proof that Bentley Uses Forks to Trim Steering Wheels

Proof that Bentley Uses Forks to Trim Steering Wheels

No one believed us when we said trimmers at … [more] about Proof that Bentley Uses Forks to Trim Steering Wheels

Auto Upholstery - The Hog Ring - Chevrolet Camaro Door Panel

Design Studio: 1967-69 Camaro Door Panel

You asked for it and we listened. Starting … [more] about Design Studio: 1967-69 Camaro Door Panel

The Hog Ring - Trimmers are Rocking Our Design Studio

Trimmers are Rocking Our Design Studio

Auto trimmers all over the world are … [more] about Trimmers are Rocking Our Design Studio

Auto Upholstery - The Hog Ring - Classic Volkswagen Beetle Door Panel

Design Studio: VW Beetle Door Panel

Last month, we introduced two illustrations … [more] about Design Studio: VW Beetle Door Panel

Categories

Footer

Recent Articles

  • Premium Auto Fabrics is Giving Away Hog Ring T-Shirts!
  • Classic Upholstery Won Big at the Rick Ross Car Show
  • Moore & Giles Sponsors The Hog Ring!
  • Trimmer Vincent Robert Mikla Dies at 70
  • Nominate a Trimmer to SEMA’s Hall of Fame

Recent Comments

  • Paul on Why Do We Call It a ‘Glove Box’?
  • Etch on Classic Upholstery Won Big at the Rick Ross Car Show
  • Thomas Wright on Bentley Looks to Mississippi for Veneers
  • Joe payton on Moore & Giles Sponsors The Hog Ring!
  • Tempat Cetak Official on 6 Ways to Transform Plastic into Chrome

Advertise With Us!

We're always looking for companies to collaborate with. Watch this short video about the benefits of sponsorship and then email us to say hi.
anal porno bangbros rus porno yaşlı porno konulu porno olgun porno porno izle sarışın porno bakire sex 69 porno

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in