John Florez is taking time off. This column was originally published Nov. 13, 2006.

It doesn't always take a village; sometimes it takes just one person. That person may be right next to us, or sometimes that person comes to us seemingly out of nowhere. And the relationship may transcend race, age, gender and class.

Such is the compelling story of Jack, a man who took Andy — a hot-tempered, streetwise 12-year-old — off the street and onto the court. "Faith, hope and guts," is what's needed on the tennis courts, the man told the boy. The boy had the guts, and while the man had little materially, he had an abundance of faith and hope to share with the boy.

It began on a cold October day on the corner of Main Street and Second South in Salt Lake City where Andy sold the Evening Deseret News. Every evening, Jack would pass by Andy's news corner on his way from his printing shop in the Atlas building, en route to the Walgreens Drug store for his usual hamburger steak. Andy always noticed that Jack carried a newspaper under his arm but never bought one from him. On this particular evening Andy finally found the guts to ask Jack why he never bought a paper from him. Jack said if he were on this corner at the same time tomorrow, he'd buy one.

It was the start of a life-changing relationship that has been captured in the book "No One Makes It Alone" (Oxide Books, Juniper Press), a book written by the boy, Andy, who has since felt driven in life to help people who need help, just as he did.

The book is a collection of snapshots of encounters between a man and the boy he helped to believe in himself, a boy he taught to see life with new eyes.

Through the sport of tennis, Jack intuitively uses daily events to socialize Andy and help him deal with pain, fear, anger and disappointment. Andy was a restless kid from a single-parent family who always found himself in trouble. He had no one to help him until he met Jack, and Jack saw great things for him.

The book paints a cultural picture of our community as it was in the '60s and earlier. While there were preferences based on race and economic status — and minorities "knew their place" — there were many instances where people reached out to one another. Such was the case with this Mexican-American kid who was audacious enough to ask for help and the white man who saw the boy's passion for living and responded. The man, through tennis and a job in his print shop, taught the boy about perseverance, tolerance, religion and class. The man had wisdom and turned conflicts into learning opportunities for the feisty boy.

It is not by chance that the boy, Judge Andy Valdez, worked hard to become a juvenile court judge who never forgot the difference one person can make. One man, through his dedication and commitment, transformed the life of a young drifter into one with meaning. It is also a book about how the cycle of life allowed Andy to be there for Jack, 40 years later.

I had the opportunity to watch Andy "morph" from a restless youth trying to find an outlet for his passion and restlessness to someone who helps other minority kids and families. It is rewarding and hopeful for me to see young people like Andy grow up to be outstanding members of our community, while never forgetting where they started.

Utah native John Florez has founded several Hispanic civil rights organizations, served on the staff of Sen. Orrin Hatch and on more than 45 state, local and volunteer boards. He also has been deputy assistant secretary of labor.

E-mail: jdflorez@comcast.net