The nonprofit Council on At-Risk Youth, or CARY, has worked with at-risk kids for 10 years.
"Really works with kids that are at risk, that are going to go in one or two directions, either taking the wrong turn and getting in trouble, or they're going to grow up to be young adults," Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said. "It really reaches out to these kids, teaches them life skills they need to problem solve, to solve conflict without turning to violence."
Murder and manslaughter in Texas are up 200 percent and aggravated robberies are up 217 percent over the last five years.
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At-Risk Youth
News 8's Todd Boatwright sat down with two people with a passion for helping others.
 
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"All of those are considered assaultive offenses, and that's one of the things that CARY addresses," Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton said. "CARY has proven to have turned around at least 50 percent of the individuals who have gone through that program, and that's a program that works."
Hamilton said CARY works in schools and neighborhoods to reach out to at-risk youth.
The 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Council on At-Risk Youth will be held this Thursday night, from 6-9 p.m. at the Hilton Austin at 500 E. 4th St.
The event will feature live music, a silent auction and Father Greg Boyle, S.J., an expert on gangs and intervention approaches from East Los Angeles.
For more information, visit CouncilOnAtRiskYouth.org.
