Dr. Juan Sánchez

Dr. Juan José Sánchez decided many years ago that working with disadvantaged young people was a life choice to which he was committed. These days, the question he asks himself and his co-workers is, "What great things have I done for kids today?"

Dr. Sánchez was born in Brownsville, Texas, and grew up in the poorest barrio of that community. It was a tough place to exist, facing obstacles that included being beat up, losing his father as a teenager and growing up in a large family. Dr. Sánchez learned that through participation in the Golden Gloves boxing program, he could learn the discipline to fight in an acceptable forum and earn respect and self-esteem.

The lessons Dr. Sánchez learned early in life carried him to an Ivy League school where he completed his doctorate in education at Harvard University in 1982. Thereafter, he began his life devotion: working with youths whose offenses range from capital offenses to running away from their parents or guardians. Several years later, with little money, plenty of determination and support from those who believed in him, Dr. Sánchez made his dream a reality by founding a community-based, private non-profit agency dedicated to keeping kids out of institutions: The Southwest Key Program, Inc., formerly known as The Texas Key Program, Inc.

Southwest Key has grown from the desire to provide quality, innovative services to a nationally recognized agency known for its creative and caring work serving disadvantaged youth and families. Dr. Sánchez' values are part of Southwest Key, where the importance of respect for self, family and community is stressed. The program employs the "best and brightest" that want to commit themselves to making positive changes in the lives of youth and their families. There is a special call to their employees to bring their history, share their values and give of themselves on behalf of those who face obstacles and who need help with their daily struggles.

In 1994, by invitation from Senator Joseph Biden to a U.S. Senate Judiciary committee hearing, Dr. Sánchez spoke of the ever-increasing overrepresentation of minority youth in secure detention. He advised, "Successful rehabilitation requires treatment." He asked that the juvenile justice system change its approach to kids by helping them develop a value system and a sense of how and where to "fight" for a better life, before any child has to be incarcerated.