Our People: Doing good in lives of children

Les Ciancio lived in Oklahoma as a young boy until his family went to Fort Sumner on vacation to visit the Billy The Kid Museum. His father found work in the area in the early 1990s which brought the Ciancio family to Clovis.

Ciancio graduated from Clovis High School in 2003. Today, he enjoys coaching his son's football, baseball and basketball teams. He is a board member with Clovis Baseball Association, CBA, and partner in the Red Zone League.

Following baptism at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, he started teaching adult education classes at the church. His first class was Theology of the Body. He got started because he said he felt like there was something more that he should be doing. He said his teaching is a blessing to help other people.

Ciancio is a father of two, an entrepreneur in custom coating and is employed at New Mexico Gas Company in collections.

What do you like about your job?

I enjoy doing my own thing. Ive always been an entrepreneur at heart. I think that doing your own thing is a form of art. In my employment job in collections I meet a lot of people and do my best to help them out.

What don't you like about your job?

There's not really anything I don't like because I know it's something that needs to be done. The ladies at work always wonder why I'm smiling on a Monday. But I've never been that person to sit at home trying to get off work. I'm always being told that I bite off more than I can chew but I always find a way to get it done.

What's your idea of a perfect day?

It's going to work then coming home safe and getting to spend the evening with my kids; teaching them new things; going to practices at the end of the day is always a perfect day.

When you were a kid, what did you think you'd be doing as an adult?

I wanted to be an astronaut. I liked to watch movies about space and the science behind it was always interesting to me. The earth has already been explored so much that space was always so interesting to me.

What's so great about your favorite sport?

I like whatever sport I am coaching. I like the coaching because it helps keep the kids engaged in something positive. It teaches them to be responsible and accountable. I don't think any sport is greater than the other to me because from all them accountability can be learned and taught in a way that's not taught at home. But if I have to pick a favorite, it would be football because it's the best life lesson; you can get hit in the mouth in every play. That can be life too at times.

Tell us about your greatest individual accomplishment?

Being a parent. Being and doing all that I can for them. I've coached hundreds of kids but being able to have a positive impact on my own is the greatest.

Make up your own question and answer it.

I thought maybe you'd ask about how I feel about the unfortunate events that have taken place in our town lately. How do I feel about it?

There are very strong opinions about what should happen next but we have to remember that we have more good people in this town than we have bad and we need stick together and not let our opinions on how to solve a problem divide us. We all have to live here and we should be peaceful.

Tell us about your favorite place to travel?

I don't really like to travel. I have really wanted to go on a mission to the holy land if time and money permits. That's been on my mind the most lately.

What do you envision your life being like in 10 years?

I live a pretty humble and straight forward life and I don't really have any big plans. My kids will be in high school and college by that time. I just want to continue to be involved in their everyday lives and be supportive.

- Compiled by The News Correspondent D'Nieka Hartsfield