Winton man works to help his town

Ask Winton residents about the needs of their community, and some might say it needs more good men like Ernest Solis.

Whether its coordinating graffiti cleanup efforts with at-risk youth around town, helping a needy family with food for the week, or fixing broken windows on the home of a senior citizen, volunteerism isn't an extracurricular activity for Solis -- it's a way of life.

Known simply as "Ernie" by locals, the 43-year-old Solis volunteers as a site supervisor at the Winton office of LifeLine Community Development Corporation, a Christian faith-based nonprofit geared toward empowering poor and disenfranchised communities with a hand up, not a hand-out.

His good deeds earned him recognition this year from the county board of supervisors, who gave him an award for the 750-plus hours he donates annually to the Winton community. "I've always had a calling here in Winton," Solis beamed. "This is our home. We're not happy with the way it is. There's no super-miracle group that is going to come out here, snap their fingers and just fix things. If we want to live here, and if we want to live here with peace and harmony, then we have to stand up and do something about it."

As a day job, Solis works for the Merced County Action Agency in Winton, facilitating the "Meals on Wheels" nutritional food program for local senior citizens. When he's not at work, Solis can be found volunteering at Lifeline's Winton office, directing young people with buckets of paint to a wall covered in graffiti, talking to residents about setting up a neighborhood watch group or other community needs.

Born in Oakland, he moved to Winton at age 14 because of the crime and gangs. "My mom decided to move me out here because it was a little slower," he recalls. "And back in the '80s it was."

But moving from the East Bay's mean streets to small-town Winton didn't stop Solis from becoming a small-time hood. Solis readily admits he was anything but a community asset when he was younger. He recounted living a life of crime until his mid-20s, doing meth and selling drugs.

He became a familiar face at the Merced County Jail for drug sales and other offenses. "I took a big chunk out of this town as a kid. I was one of those teens who was running around rampant," he admits.

By his late 20s, Solis began changing his tune from Judas Priest's "Breaking the Law" to Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror." Case in point, at age 27, he achieved his GED while locked up as an inmate at John Latorraca Correctional Center. "I actually scored highest in my class," he smiled.

His good grades earned an invitation to give a speech to the governing board of the jail's adult school. "It kind of started to turn my mind around, thinking there was something I could do that was positive" he reflects.

Fathering a son and daughter also contributed to Solis' life change, as he didn't want his children to follow in his criminal road to nowhere. "My wife said, 'You know what? It's time to stop,'" he said. "We put down the drugs and cigarettes. We turned around and walked away from it."

Ultimately, being a good parent and role model trumped the drug game's short-term benefits. "I've been shot at, I've had guns pulled on me. I did not want my kids growing up thinking that was the life," Solis related. "I wanted my kids to grow up and be hard-working men and young women."

He began volunteering at Lifeline in Winton eight years ago, following the example of his wife Rosemarie. "Before you know it, we were off the drugs and volunteering here on a steady basis," say Solis.