As the ‘man’ of the house, he deserves a kid break

You can call Henry Salvador the Cal Ripken Jr. of school attendance. An incoming eighth-grader this fall, Henry began his streak in kindergarten and has yet to miss a single day of class in eight years.

The 13-year-old lives in a small house only a block away from a gang hot spot in the west part of Wilmington, where tagging, drive-by shootings and robberies are not uncommon.

But Henry has remained focused, earning a red belt with one black stripe in tae kwon do with only one level separating him from a black belt. His signature move is what he calls the tornado hook kick -- too complicated and dangerous a move for a demonstration in the living room where he sleeps on a pullout sofa.

Anatomy is Henry’s favorite subject to study in school, and he has his mind set on becoming a doctor, to “help people.” He helps out with chores at home and loves to make spaghetti and gravity-defying sandwiches.

Though the house is small, it is well-kept by his mother, Maria Salvador, who stays at home to care for Henry and his sisters Maria, 6, and Angelica, 2.

Henry’s father, Santiago, works long hours as a truck driver and can go on runs for weeks at a time before he comes home for a break.

At times, Henry relishes his role as man of the house, teaching his little sisters how to brush their teeth and chiding them if they forget.

“He wants them to learn,” Salvador said in Spanish. “He’s serious as a big brother.”

Henry has been looking forward to attending the San Pedro YMCA’s Camp Whittle in the San Bernardino Mountains near Big Bear for years, and he will leave for the weeklong camp Saturday. He wants to learn how to swim, ride horses on mountain trails and hit the bull’s-eye in archery.

“It’s things I know he’s never done before, and I wouldn’t be able to take him to do,” Salvador said about camp. “He will learn to be well-behaved, more responsible and independent.”

Henry will be among the 12,000 children who will go to camp this summer, thanks to $2.1 million raised in the Los Angeles Times Summer Camp Campaign last year. Donations this season will ensure that deserving children get the camp experience next summer -- as of July 31, $757,640 has been raised.

The annual fundraising campaign is part of the Los Angeles Times Family Fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, which this year will match the first $1.2 million in contributions at 50 cents on the dollar.

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