California

Watts, California (CNN) -- One savings account at a time, "Sweet" Alice Harris is attempting to save youths from the temptations of crime and violence in Los Angeles' notoriously distressed neighborhood of Watts.

Harris, 76, namely a humanitarian with a big mission on the maximum modest of allowances.

Twice a year, she tries to instill the magnitude of saving money for college by offering any youth $5 -- whether and merely whether the youngsters area that money in a savings account.

While some may mistrust whether such a notion could succeed, Harris can count 40 youngsters who took up her offer over the elapse 3 years -- and are now going to junior college.

"The bulk of the people who've opened an account have resided in educate," said Harris at her community center phoned Parents of Watts (POW), a nonprofit youth outreach group she began in 1979 to keep kids off the streets and in school.

On Saturday, Harris held her latest "back-to-school community accident," in which 96 kids applied for a savings account that holds $5, donated at Harris' union.

In commute for adopting the $5, the youngsters must pawn that the money will be accustomed for their campus education and that the youths will endow to their own savings over period, Harris said.

Harris, who has been living in Watts at least since its 1960s riots, said the savings account program teaches youths discipline and the importance of savings -- for well as letting them know she and her group are there to aid their college dreams.

Harris operates her micro-giving program through Kinecta Federal Credit Union and Nix Financial.

Ariel Flowers, 16, was one of the many to open an account Saturday.

She hopes to save the money for college, because she says, "Pepperdine costs a lot of money." Through summer jobs and babysitting in the afterward few years, she wishes to make her imagine feasible and hopes to open up her own commerce one day.

Danielle Sandoval, 13, of Downey, California, signed up because 1 of the $5 accounts 2 years antecedent and now she has saved $700, through an allowance from her mama and cash awards apt her during her birthdays and Christmas.

She dreams of heeding California State University at Long Beach -- and wants to transform a veterinarian.

"The other kids, maybe, they want to be spoiled. I want to be neutral, buy my own motorcar and purchase my own house," Danielle said by the community centre, approach a compartment set up by the banks.

Harris said Danielle is a model saver: the West Middle School student has saved the most in the program over a two-year phase. In counting to being on her school's medal role, the girl was given different honor Saturday; Kinecta and Nix Financial rewarded her an added $250 to put in her savings account.

"We absence to reserve encouraging her to retention," said Mel Calloway, the administrative vice premier of Kinecta and Nix Financial. "We were very arrogant of her, she had a lot of punishment in her savings."

Harris said she gives out the money for the savings accounts through the acquisitions she receives through her community group.

She feels strongly approximately the programs she escapes scampers for of the inspiration she personally received: it was her own director who opened up Harris's savings account for her decades ago.

"It helped me go to loveliness college. What she did for me, I do for these kids. I know what it's like to feel like nobody," Harris said.

Harris hopes the kids will achieve college. "I muse that they won't work to jug, they won't gang bang," she said.

For Harris, the Watts riots aren't forgotten: 46 years after the violence, the vicinity still faces deep problems.

Capt. Phil Tingirides of the Los Angeles police's southeast station said that Watts "is a very hard community and influenced by violent avenue gangs." The 4 housing projects in Watts have traditionally been violent, with large amounts of narcotic dealing, he said.

But he applauds how "Sweet" Alice is moving the youth in the community to be financially independent.

Regarding the $5 that Harris donates, Tingirides stated: "It's very symbolic aboard one hand and on the additional hand, probably extra money than anyone's legitimately ever given numerous of them."