For years, experts have agreed that kids and teens without guidance and with empty hands can become at-risk.

A Central Florida nonprofit is trying to change that by getting kids connected with positive paths.

Alysen Gutierrez's life may be young, but it hasn't been the easiest. She was born in Miami and says her family always struggled financially.

"We got evicted out of a lot of our homes and had to bounce from house to house," she said. "Growing up, there was a time period where in second grade ... I couldn't go to school, and I was in a homeless shelter with my family."

That instability, she says, led to drugs and addiction. Eventually, though, there was a glimmer of a path forward with a special connection.

"Since day one, Alysen, her dedication was there," Mayitza Rohena, founder

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