One person with a novel idea has grown a campus that has helped thousands.

Dave Faries here, wishing I had held onto the only collectible car I ever owned. On the other hand, how many mechanics out there can diagnose the ailments of a carbureted engine with no onboard computer?

That’s where Rancho Cielo comes in. Recently the youth campus launched a Classic Car Restoration program, which should help fill the need for such mechanics. Students in the program, along with their instructor, hope to make an immediate impression, by restoring a car to show at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. That’s a goal lofty even for longtime specialists.

If you think their chances are slim, however, I urge you to read staff writer Pam Marino’s story on the school and its success in this week’s edition of the Weekly. In it, she tells how Rancho Cielo began with one man and an idea. The man is John Phillips, a retired Monterey County Superior Court judge (and later, county supervisor). He believed establishing a school that would give youth on the verge of jail time skills and confidence might just steer them away from trouble.

No one else thought it would work.

Now Rancho Cielo is 25. It has programs that have served well over 2,000 students throughout its existence and has expanded to provide job training, education, counseling and more to those in need up to age 24. You can find its success stories in restaurants, at construction sites and in offices and facilities all around the area.

It’s an inspiring story well told. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.