The Bill Wilson Center, a nonprofit, community-based agency located in the city of Santa Clara, has been serving thousands of youngsters and their families through counseling, housing, education and advocacy since its inception in 1973.

For some who attend classes at the center, the organization primarily represents a chance to gain educational opportunities, while for others it's a lifesaving experience that helps them turn their lives around.

For example, young runaways can seek shelter at the center's 16-bed facility while the organization helps to reunite them with their families.

The center also operates six transitional housing facilities for young parents. In addition to giving the parents a safe place to stay, center staff teach these youngsters parenting skills.

"We serve 6,000 to 7,000 children a year. We don't turn anyone away," says Judy Whittier, director of community resources at the center.

With such an important role to play in the community, the agency can benefit from the valuable experience and ideas that 18-year-old De Pinto and 15-year-old Carter bring to the table.

"Both Tiyasha and Ian are wonderful young leaders," Whittier says. "They are passionate about youth issues. Having them on the board would help keep our perspective broad. They bring a young voice that would allow us to enhance our services and to better serve youths in the community."

"I am really excited about the opportunity to contribute my experiences and guide the decisions of the board," says De Pinto, a freshman at De Anza College. "It's always good to have age diversity on the board. I also think it's so great that the Bill Wilson Center values a youth's opinion as much as an adult's."

Motivated by a passion to help others, De Pinto plans to earn a Ph.D. in psychology and become a counselor in the future.

Carter is also looking forward to assisting the Bill Wilson Center in serving his peers.

"I think that an organization that serves a large number of youths should have young people deeply involved," says Carter, a sophomore at Homestead High School. "I hope that a young perspective will help the organization identify youths' needs and help address those needs."

In addition to the Bill Wilson Center, Carter is involved in several other organizations, such as the Santa Clara County Youth Task Force, Safe Place and the California Student Coalition.

"Being a young person myself, I know the issues that young people have to deal with every day," Carter says. "There is a great need in the young community for services like the ones provided by the Bill Wilson Center."

Both De Pinto and Carter came to the Bill Wilson Center through its peer education program, which educates youngsters about such topics as suicide prevention and combating depression. Peer education is just one of 11 different programs offered by the organization.

Other free services include school outreach counseling, an HIV prevention/health education program and a restorative justice program, which works with youngsters in trouble with the law.

The organization, which serves youth ages 11 to 22, also operates a counseling center, a homeless youth drop-in center, and a runaway and homeless youth shelter.

For more information about the Bill Wilson Center, call 408.243.0222 or visit www.billwilsoncenter.org.