Father and Son Both Volunteer at the Equip Skills Center
“Alex is better with cars than me,” laughs Leo Patton, speaking about his 26-year-old son, a volunteer instructor in the advanced automotive class at Equip Skills Center. From a young age, Alex fondly remembers tinkering with cars alongside his dad.
“Now we’ve come full circle and we’re helping younger students do the same,” Alex said. “It’s really fun and rewarding!” After a few years at Equip volunteering his technical abilities and serving as a role model to the teens enrolled in the program, Alex urged his dad to get involved, as well.
Leo has now spent more than a year teaching students basic auto skills like changing brakes and oil. During a six-week-long intro course, Leo walks teens through multiple work stations, ranging from basic maintenance to electrical knowledge and even how to take apart a small engine.
“It’s neat to rotate through each station and interact with the students along the way,” Leo said. “And in the advanced class, they have more time and flexibility to meet real-world needs, like learning to replace the starter in a car.”
What’s really impressed Leo about being involved with Equip classes is that the kids who sign up really want to be there. “We have great conversations, too. They’re grateful for an adult investing in their lives.” He likes that the students show up on time for pizza and engage in a group discussion before diving in to the automotive instruction. “We might start by going around the room and sharing three words that describe us, to help everyone get to know each other better. Other days we kick off class with an inspiring Bible verse.”
Leo and his family have long had a heart for underprivileged youth and have served in various teen ministries over the years. Through Equip, both Leo and Alex have gotten to know several students facing difficult life situations. They try their best to be a sounding board and point the teens to hope in the Lord.
“Maybe I can’t relate to everything they’re going through, but I’ve found that if I’m willing to listen, that can make all the difference,” Leo said. “There were two siblings at my station who didn’t always get along, but as we talked through some things, they started enjoying working together and kept coming around because they felt it was a safe place for them to go. It meant a lot to them that we were there, week after week.”
Currently, Leo is really enjoying connecting with one student who graduated his basic intro course and has returned to the program to try his hand at auto detailing. “I give him weekly rides to class, which gives us good time in the car to talk. We’ve also enjoyed attending other youth events, like a football tailgate party put on by a church in his neighborhood. The gospel message was shared and he told me afterward that he hadn’t heard that good news about Jesus before, so that’s something we can continue to follow up and talk about when we’re riding to the Skills Center together.”
The eagerness to teach where they are needed (at either Equip’s north or west location) and to have intentional conversations with students positions Alex and Leo to be powerful tools in the classroom. As instructors and mentors, they can help cast a vision for the teens’ futures.
“Not all of them are considering college, but they can still have a great career. As a competent mechanic, they can find plenty of work and make good pay. It’s stable and secure and offers camaraderie, as well,” Leo explained.
If you’re looking to rev up your volunteer time, consider joining Alex, Leo and others at Equip Skills Center in making a big impact on students!
Learn more online at https://www.equipskillscenter.com