CHATSWORTH : 3 Residents Named ‘Citizens of Year’

Three Chatsworth residents, including a high school student who helps counsel troubled teen-agers, each were named “Citizen of the Year” by the Chatsworth Community Coordinating Council on Friday.

Brother John Crowe, Lila Schepler and Charles Nguyen, a senior at Chatsworth High School, were lauded by the organization for their outstanding volunteer efforts in local community improvement projects.

Crowe, a member of the Holy Cross Order monastic society, serves as the executive director of the Rancho San Antonio “Boys’ Town of the West” home for troubled teen-agers.

Through the home, he recently developed an independent living program for men over 18 previously under foster care.

The mission of the program is to stop individuals recently released from foster care from falling into criminal behavior or homelessness. To accomplish that goal, Crowe and his assistants work to build the self-esteem of program members through counseling, job-training and some financial assistance.

Schepler has been involved with community organizations since moving to Chatsworth in the 1930s. She helped found the Chatsworth Historical Society in 1963 and still lectures at local schools and community organizations about local history.

Schepler has also worked with local churches to provide food and shelter for the poor.

Though still in high school, Nguyen has been active in a variety of community programs.

At Chatsworth High, the 17-year-old Charles serves as vice president of a peer-counseling group called You Empower Student Success. The program assists troubled teen-agers with schoolwork and provides counseling on some domestic issues.

Charles also helps coordinate social events for disabled and blind children. He is currently helping to organize the this year’s Blind Olympics.

The Chatsworth Community Coordinating Council is an umbrella group for local community organizations.