Shane was originally introduced to Teen Challenge at the age of 15-1/2 during Red Ribbon Week at his high school. Teen Challenge was there along with a guest speaker and they offered to shuttle students for the next few weeks to Orange County First Assembly of God. At this time in his life he had already begun using marijuana, LSD, ecstasy and meth. He was spiraling out of control. Committing crimes, going in and out of juvenile hall. By the grace of God, a seed was planted during those few weeks. Much of his family had a solid relationship with Christ but Shane didn’t. After he turned 16 he bought his first legal car from Teen Challenge, which by the way was a donation to Teen Challenge of Orange County. If you ask him he will tell you he had several cars before then but they weren’t necessarily his!

While a seed was planted and Shane stopped his criminal behavior, the partying didn’t stop. A true relationship with the Lord hadn’t yet developed. At the age of 20 he started working as security in a bar and started to drink. As a child of alcoholics he swore to never drink and this decision would shape the next 15 years of his life. Thankfully he was reintroduced to Christ and baptized at 21, helping him to break away from all his addictions except marijuana and alcohol.

But his relationship with the Lord still wasn’t cemented. What could be considered a social drinking habit (code for denial) developed into full blown alcoholism after practically back-to-back injuries left him immobilized for just less than a year. He was not able to break free on his own and ultimately lost his home to foreclosure.

At 35-1/2 he found himself staying at Mom’s house and needing help. She reminded him of Teen Challenge and the good work they do. A short time later, his brother was grocery shopping and ran into a Teen Challenge student who shared his testimony and the transformation he had experienced. Still lost in his alcoholism, Shane needed one last sign and it came from a “Will you help us” pamphlet he pulled from his pocket as he was discarding empty vodka bottles the day after an Angel’s baseball game. He remembers seeing a Teen Challenge student with a red sweatshirt, who was kind enough to reach out.

At 35-1/2—nearly 20 years to the day he first was introduced to the ministry of Teen Challenge—Shane entered into Orange County Teen Challenge, broken and desperate for healing. Shane completed the one-year program and did his Internship at the Castle (the Inland Empire campus). Late December of 2011 he returned to Orange County and was committed to getting hired. If he wasn’t able to be than he would do reentry because he wasn’t going back. Tim Suk took a chance on Shane and hired him in January of 2012.

Along the way Shane married his beautiful wife, Maria, also a Teen Challenge graduate.

At Orange County Teen Challenge, Shane’s primary focus has been to show Christ’s love with a servant’s heart. After serving in several positions, he now serves as Superintendent of Operations. He oversees center operations, the men’s home, and the robust youth prevention programs. He works with volunteers and supporters to help further the ministry of Orange County Teen Challenge.