Contractor transforms a trouble-maker with a scholarship

Charlie Mac Donald decided to share his good fortune, and he wound up transforming a street hoodlum.

God had blessed him as a contractor. God had healed him three times of cancer. When he wanted to bless others, he turned to Lighthouse Christian Academy, where he paid a $500/month scholarship for Pacoima bad boy Junior Cervantes.

By 2011, Junior had revolutionized his life (see video). Upon graduating from LCA, he was deluged with job offers. He turned to his patron and accepted a construction job.

“It's been a huge blessing,” said Mac Donald, 69, who is currently expanding the Hale Roach property in Pacific Palisades, based on plans from  Bloomfield Architects. “The Lord gave me the heart to do it, and I've started seeing the rewards” of the investment.

It was not too long ago that Junior's life was spiraling out of control. A house burglar and tagger, Junior escaped run-ins with law enforcement several times. When he accidentally left his ID on site of one chase, he thought moving in with his uncle in Santa Monica would throw off the scent of the Pacoima cops who were tracking him.

His uncle, Edgar Cervantes, enrolled him at Lighthouse Christian Academy, where he began to hear the word of God. Its effect was not immediate because Junior felt out of place among so students with ideal upbringings.

Eventually, police came to arrest Junior right out of the classroom. Principal Jack Mefford asked permission to pray with him in the squad car. That simple act of solidarity profoundly moved Junior, who vowed to turn his life around as soon as he got out.

Now “Junior has a heart for God,” Mac Donald said. “He's gone from being a borderline Christian to a full-blown Christian.”

Mac Donald decided to continue to support Junior when the young man, at one point, “jumped the fence” and returned to Pacoima and the bad life, he said.

“It was kind of a gamble,” Mac Donald said. “We had a face-to-face talk with him when he came back. I told him that if he wanted help, he needed to make a commitment.”

Today Junior, 20, is rising in the ranks of Mac Donald Incorporated Contractors. He's meeting with his Mac Donald once a week for an hour or two for intensive private contracting lessons.

He's even romantically interested in the daughter of Lighthouse's senior pastor, Rob Scribner.

Where once his uncle pulled him out of street life, now Junior is doing the same. He frequents the Third Street Promenade to preach, rap and break dance in efforts to rescue similarly lost souls. He encourages young men everywhere to choose the higher path.

MacDonald plans to continue sponsoring students, as soon as he can liquidate his own debt. In the meantime, he feels the good pride of man who has helped a fellow human being.

“It's not a boastful reward,” he said. “The satisfaction is that the kid got a good start. He got his feet on the ground and headed in the right direction. He's changed courses. That's rewarding to know.”

Mac Donald is so encouraged by the results of his giving that he encourages businessmen and women to likewise consider sponsoring students.

“I believe there's a call in today's business place to looking into these kids and seeing where they're going,” he said. “Finding the niche for the student is huge. There's a definite calling in the marketplace for helping high school students.”