Biography

Mercedez Quintanilla has served as an administrator for the Norwalk Sheriff Station’s Personal Responsibility in Developing Ethics (PRIDE) Program for 12 years.

While serving, Mercedez. conducted home visits, which revealed countless cases of domestic violence, drugs, alcohol abuse, and absentee parents.

She also began networking with school counselors, probation officers, district attorneys, and social services departments involved in the community. Due to her hard work over the years, Board of Supervisor, Don Knabe, honored her in 2013 as Volunteer of the Year for the Fourth District. She also served on the S.A.R.B (School Attendance Review Board) Panel and S.A.R.T (School Attendance Review Team) for the Norwalk/La Mirada School District.

This laid the foundation and targeted which kids needed the most help in developing their attitudes and improving their academic success using the P.R.I.D.E program to help in this development. The overall consensus was that a strong after school program and family resource center was needed and would provide sustained guidance to families over a prolonged period of time, which is absent from our community today.