DOWNEY - Tony Cristani was sworn in last week as the new president of Gangs out of Downey.

Cristani, who manages the Financial Partners Credit Union office located on Imperial Highway, has been involved with Downey community for four and half years, and a part of Gangs Out of Downey for a little over three years. 

“I was looking for a ‘fit.’ I love giving back to the community…but I have to find something that I’m passionate about,” said Cristani. “Sometimes it’s the chamber [of commerce]; when you find the right chamber, it’s really in you. Sometimes it’s Kiwanis or Rotary.

“One of our board members, Mario Guerra, suggested ‘Hey, you should try Gangs Out of Downey.’”

Cristani was impressed by the collaboration between the different community members, the city and the school district.

“You don’t find that in every city; I think that’s something that’s pretty unique to Downey,” said Cristani. “That’s why I wanted to be a part of it.”

He steps into his new role after having served as the organization’s treasurer for three years. While he feels GOOD is “in a great spot” and “making an impact,” his goals for his term include more community recognition and familiarity, as well as improved online presence.

He calls GOOD “one of the best kept secrets in Downey.”

“We do so many good things, we have so many great members in the group, but unless we’re doing an event and we’re talking to people, most of the time they don’t know Gangs Out of Downey,” said Cristiani. “…Just getting our name out there, and our message, and what we do for the community I think is a great focus. We do such great things, let’s let people know about it.”

He added that he hopes to expand programs at Downey Unified schools.

“At Woodruff [Elementary School], we did the art program and things like that to give the kids a way to express themselves productively. At Sussman [Middle School] we did the physical fitness program that gave kids the ability to be outside with a trainer and find different outlets for things that way,” said Cristani. “I think it’s more like activity for many of them than the financial support, and we do that too in places we donate; the backpack [giveaway] is part of it to help cover some things…but at the schools I think it’s been really activity focused. I’m hoping we can expand on that.

“We’ve focused on two schools so far, but there’s way more schools in Downey Unified.”

Cristani said he also hopes to grow GOOD.

“You have ebbs and flows in any type of service organization,” said Cristani. “When I first started, in our meeting room on the second floor of city hall…I was sitting on a chair outside; there were no seats at the table. Lately for the most part, if you’ve shown up, you can get a seat at the table. I think we’ve lost some of the support from the community, and I would love to bring that back in.”

Cristani lives in Whittier with his wife Elizabeth and daughter Kenley.