{"id":90803,"date":"2026-01-19T14:31:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T14:31:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/90803\/"},"modified":"2026-01-19T14:31:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T14:31:15","slug":"meet-a-reading-man-who-guides-men-in-recovery-spotlight-pa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/90803\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet a Reading man who guides men in recovery \u2022 Spotlight PA"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article originally appeared in Good Day, Berks \u2014 Spotlight PA\u2019s<\/a> free daily newsletter for Berks County and your daily dose of Berks County essentials. Sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This week\u2019s Community Spotlight honoree is Antonio J. Carrero, 41, who serves as program assistant manager at New Journey Community Outreach (NJCO) in Reading.<\/p>\n

This conversation, which took place in person, has been edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n

Good Day, Berks: Where do you live?<\/p>\n

Antonio Carrero: I live in Reading.<\/p>\n

Tell us a little about your family.<\/p>\n

I was born in Reading and lived here until I was 11, when I entered foster care near Harrisburg. My foster parents worked with deaf children, so I learned sign language early on. They were wonderful people, and I\u2019m still close with two of my foster brothers.<\/p>\n

I returned to Reading at 17. Today, my wife Selena and I share a beautiful, blended family of eight children, ranging in age from 7 to 26. I also carry the memory of my son, Antonio J. Carrero Jr., who tragically lost his life to gun violence in Reading about a year and a half ago.<\/p>\n

Tell us about your work and what it means to you.<\/p>\n

I absolutely love what I do. I volunteered at New Journey Community Outreach for 14 years before stepping into my current full-time role. As program assistant manager, I spend most mornings in the kitchen, starting around 6 a.m. I prepare meals and connect with the men who come through our doors. I see myself as a mentor, paying forward the guidance I once received there.<\/p>\n

For me, cooking is more than a job; it\u2019s a love language. My wife comes to work to help me when we\u2019re making something special, like lasagna. With Puerto Rican and Italian roots, I\u2019ve got a wide culinary range, and I pour my heart into every dish.<\/p>\n

Can you share a challenge you’ve faced?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve faced many. I struggled with heroin addiction for years, but I\u2019ve been clean now for 12. During that time, I was hospitalized for six months with endocarditis, a serious heart condition. That was a turning point.<\/p>\n

Losing my son was another devastating blow. Gun violence in our city is a crisis that needs urgent attention. Through it all, I\u2019ve been blessed with people who stood by me. New Journey was always a safe haven, and Jeff Laylon, our program director, played a huge role in helping me get into rehab. He\u2019s been a true friend.<\/p>\n

Favorite place to eat in Berks County?<\/p>\n

Texas Roadhouse. Great food, big menu\u2014something for everyone.<\/p>\n

Where would you take a visitor in Berks?<\/p>\n

The Pagoda, hands down. The view from up there is breathtaking.<\/p>\n

Is there a book, poem, or piece of art that speaks to you?<\/p>\n

The Bible is my foundation. I also enjoy motivational books and speakers. Psalms 23, \u201cThe Lord is my Shepherd,\u201d is my favorite poem. And when it comes to movies, \u201cRocky\u201d is my go-to. It\u2019s all about perseverance.<\/p>\n

Who has had the greatest influence on your life?<\/p>\n

My wife, Selena. She\u2019s my rock. She believes in me, pushes me to be better, and keeps me moving forward.<\/p>\n

This positive news for Berks County is made possible thanks to a generous grant from the United Way of Berks County, which is celebrating 100 years of service to the community. Learn more here <\/a>| Become a supporter of Spotlight PA here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This article originally appeared in Good Day, Berks \u2014 Spotlight PA\u2019s free daily newsletter for Berks County and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":90804,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[128,130,129],"class_list":{"0":"post-90803","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-reading","8":"tag-reading-city","9":"tag-reading-city-headlines","10":"tag-reading-city-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90803"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90803\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}