Changing One Future at a Time: How a Classic Car and a Second Chance Can Rebuild a Life

There is a 1933 Packard convertible sitting in a garage on the south side of Chicago.

It came in rough,  faded, forgotten, the kind of car most people would walk past without a second glance. But in the hands of the young men and women at the Automotive Mentoring Group, that car is becoming something remarkable. Panel by panel. Weld by weld. One careful, patient hour at a time.

And so are they.

More Than Metal

When people first hear about AMG, they often think it's a program about cars. And yes, we teach automotive repair, bodywork, sheet metal fabrication, and classic car restoration. Our students learn skills that take seasoned professionals years to develop. They leave our three-to-six month program with knowledge, certifications, and a direct path into one of the most in-demand industries in the country.

But the cars are really just the beginning.

What we're actually doing, what has been happening in our garage since founder Alex Levesque opened these doors in 2007, is something harder to measure and infinitely more important. We are changing the way young people think about themselves.

"The only way you change the behavior of a person is if you change the way they think," Alex has said. And he's right. A new skill can open a door. But a new belief, a genuine, earned confidence in one's own ability, can change the entire direction of a life.

Where We Meet People

AMG doesn't wait for people to be ready. We meet our participants where they are and work towards what they need and want in their lives through consistent and genuine mentorship and exposure to resources and opportunities.

That means the young man who came in still tangled in gang life. The woman working to get back on her feet after years of making choices she regrets. The teenager who was told, more times than he can count, that he wasn't going anywhere. We take them exactly as they are, and we get to work.

Our mentors aren't strangers to real life. They range from school teachers to police officers and firefighters to experienced clinicians. They are people who have seen the worst of what can happen when a young person has no direction, no support, and no reason to believe in a different future. And they show up, every single day, because they know what's possible when someone finally does.

What Happens in the Garage

There is something powerful about working with your hands on something broken and making it whole again.

When a student picks up a grinder for the first time, they don't know what they're doing. They make mistakes. The metal doesn't cooperate. The work is harder than they expected. But their mentor stands beside them, patient and steady, and shows them again. And again. Until one day, without quite realizing when it happened, they know what they're doing. They're good at it. They're proud of it.

That moment, that quiet, internal shift from "I can't" to "I can", is what AMG is built on.

Our program aids in supporting participants in earning their high school diplomas, enrolling in colleges, and obtaining jobs and apprenticeships in the automotive industry. Those are real, measurable outcomes. But underneath every diploma and every job offer is a person who learned, in a garage in Chicago, that they were worth investing in.

 How You Can Be Part of It

AMG runs entirely on the generosity of people who believe what we believe — that every person deserves a real chance, and that the right opportunity at the right moment can change everything.

There are three ways to get involved:

Donate. Kittyland receives its funding from donations, grants, and fundraising activities. (Editor's note: AMG similarly depends on donations, grants, and community support to keep its doors open and its programs running free of charge to participants.)

Volunteer. Whether you're a mechanic, a teacher, a counselor, or simply someone who cares, there is a place for you here. Our mentors come from every background imaginable. What they share is a willingness to show up and a belief that people can change.

Spread the word. Share our story. Tell someone about us. The young person who needs AMG most may not know we exist yet. You might be the reason they find us.

The Packard Will Be Finished

One day, not too long from now, that 1933 Packard convertible will roll out of our garage looking better than it has in decades. The students who worked on it will stand back and look at what they built with their own hands, and they will know something about themselves that they didn't know before.

That's the moment we work for.

That's why AMG exists.

One car. One skill. One conversation. One future at a time.