Graphic Arts teacher Greg Carlson is actively involved with assisting kids 10-18 outside of the classroom in his family oriented service program headed by his mother, Margo Carlson.

The California Services Program (CSP) is a special program spanning across nine counties in Southern California, including a local shelter in Laguna Beach, providing services for youths at risk of very serious mental health issues, like suicide, and other various types of situations.

The CSP Youth Shelter is unique in the fact that they are hardcare and have programs that actually work. Greg Carlson, Graphic Arts teacher at SJHHS, mentioned that recovering from mental illness in a pleasant environment can be extremely beneficial for clients.

Greg Carlson’s mother, Margo Carlson, started the program 40 years ago with Dr. Arny Binder at UCI where they were dealing with the effects of what happens to a police officer after they take violent action against another person which later evolved into juvenile interventions with the police force.

“From then on the program just kept building and building and my mom became the Executive Director of it,” said Greg Carlson.

His wife, Carol Carlson, also filled a critical role in the program as both the Fund Development Director of the organization as well as the Shelter Director of the establishment in Laguna Beach.

She was first introduced to CSP when she volunteered at the youth shelter in Laguna as a favor to her mother-in-law. The shelter lost some personnel and Carol Carlson ended up taking over one of the positions and she worked her way up to her current rank.

As Shelter Director, she is responsible for raising funds for that shelter, organizing schedules between the counselors, youth advisors, clinical psychologists, and volunteers. “It would be like the principal of the school,” said Greg Carlson. Her broader role as Fund Development Director entailed writing grants and raising funds to run the program.

In support of his wife and mother, Greg Carlson is actively involved in CSP through donations and attendance in all of their events.