20 under 40: JOSE SABALA

Favorite quote or saying, why?

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9.

The Lord guides my steps and I just want to be in His will in all I do both professionally and in the community I serve and love!

Community or professional highlights:

Establishment of nonprofit in 2015 called South Modesto Partnerships. Where the mission and vision is to mobilize faith, neighbors, private, and public partners to act together to support the health and well-being of the community.

Provided structure and launch of Community Program Called CodeX. A computer science program directed to middle school students in South Modesto in 2015. Now, the program has expanded from one school site to five and was the recipient of the Congressional App Challenge, Westly Prize, and obtains support from the Harvard Innovation Lab.

Launch of the South Modesto Teacher Celebration annual event that is meant to recognize the efforts of teachers who serve youth in our community by providing lunch and entertainment for teachers for one day during the school year. In addition, to celebrating the work inside of the class, the hope is to encourage teachers to invest their time outside of the classroom as community leaders to further impact students’ lives.

I was the first in my family to graduate from college with my bachelor’s degree in business with concentration in management.

Your life changed when:

My first life change was when I married my queen Araceli Sabala. She brought so much life and structure to me. She also gave birth to our two handsome princes Ezekiel and Jude! My leadership excelled when I went to a meeting called Catalyst hosted by City Ministry Network. It was there where I connected with various multi-sector leaders who shared the same passion as me, and that was to serve our community. Out of this monthly gathering I was able to launch South Modesto Partnerships. The mission of SMP is to mobilize faith, neighbors, private, and public partners to act together to support the health and well-being of the community. We aim to accomplish our goals by creating: community events and activities that promote healthy lifestyles and community development, education and training focused on promoting community collaboration and partnerships, partnership and collaborative development among South Modesto faith,community, and neighborhood residents and leaders.

What do you want people to know most about you?

I would like people to know me as a servant-hearted man who strives to apply the biblical principle, “love God, love people,” in all aspects of his life.

What do you like most about living here?

The thing I love the most about living in our community is that the people that live here have a heart of gold! Our community in all sectors seems to be at a critical point of coming together for the common good of one another, the city and county! This is what unity looks like and I am excited to be a part.

Why is community involvement important?

Getting involved is important to me because I want to be a part of a city wide change. It starts with us. We have to be at the forefront of the change if we want the community to thrive. I believe in this community, and I want a bright future for my kids to grow up in!

This story was originally published August 24, 2017 at 10:30 AM with the headline "20 under 40: JOSE SABALA."