Save Our Youth director moves on

Deirdre Newman

“The new guy” is not a familiar moniker for Oscar Santoyo.

But that’s what the former executive director of Save Our Youth

was being called Monday in his new job with the Boys and Girls Club

of San Juan Capistrano.

For almost 10 years, Santoyo guided kids in Costa Mesa toward a

variety of goals, like getting into college.

As the director of program services for the Boys and Girls Club,

Santoyo will focus entirely on programs like education, technology

recreation and arts and crafts without having to worry about

fund-raising.

He said he took the job mainly because there is more opportunity

to grow within the national organization. But the Westside native

said he will miss dearly the bonds he developed through SOY.

“You can take the boy out of SOY, but you can’t take SOY out of

the boy,” Santoyo said. “It was a very, very difficult and emotional

decision I had to make. It’s been an emotional month of May.”

SOY started on the Westside in 1993. Santoyo, 38, joined the

organization soon afterward in September of that year. He developed

some innovative programs like a scholarship that rewards participants

for earning good grades. Santoyo would like to recreate the program

for the Boys and Girls Club, he said. He also wants to start a Big

Brothers alumni group for the club.

SOY’s board is looking for a replacement for Santoyo, which won’t

be easy, said board member Jean Forbath.

“He gave us almost 10 great years and I’m sure we’ll work hard to

find the right person so we’ll continue to flourish,” Forbath said.

Another part of Santoyo’s decision had to do with his family. He

and his wife, Veronica, are expecting their second child in October

and he wanted to focus more on his family.

“I really had to think about it,” Santoyo said. “I could continue

on with SOY and be at the level I’m at or make a move where I can get

to a point where my wife doesn’t have to work as much and we can pay

more attention to our family.”

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers Costa Mesa and may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.