Ethical Leadership. This term should be common in society today, especially in the field of law and law enforcement. Long Beach Police Detective Kimberly Maddox was the epitome of ethical leadership. An adamant and fierce supporter of California Families in Focus (CFF), it is in Kimberly’s name that we originally created this program to advance and support ethical and hard-working youth pursuing a career in law or law enforcement with specialized leadership training and a monetary college scholarship. Kim succumbed to cancer much too early in her life. 

We have recently added Tony Macias to the program’s name. Tony, brother of CFF Founder Angel Macias, was a security officer who Kim was mentoring to apply to be a police officer. He was murdered by gang members in Sacramento. 

The mentees engage in active community service programming coupled with constructive training to yield ethical and educated young leaders. Our executive director schedules visits, ride-alongs and meetings with law enforcement officers and attorneys for the mentees. When applicable, she also creates an internship schedule. The mentees also learn the day-to-day activities at CFF through shadowing our executive director.

Through these one-on-one mentoring activities, they discover and sharpen their leadership skills, develop a strong work ethic, and learn how to mentor others. 

These skills empower the young adults to begin their careers serving justice in their communities and make a positive impact in society. In addition, upon completing the one-year program, each young adult receives a scholarship between $500 and $5,000, letters of recommendation and certificates from local elected officials. CFF provides continuing support and guidance throughout the process of obtaining their dream career.