YORK, Pa. — Peter Bottros spends his days sharing the power of music.
“Man, it changes lives," he said. "As a person coming to America, music was a big part of my life.”
He came to York from Egypt and over the last decade, has founded SHINE Music Foundation. The nonprofit provides music lessons to underserved children in the city.
“Our goal is to uplift, inspire and motivate kids," Bottros explained.
But recently, something uninspiring happened.
Two teens broke into Peter’s newly-opened downtown studio.
“They looked through the whole building but the only thing they took was an electric bike," he said. “I was upset because this is a safe zone for my kids here.”
Peter ended up getting the bike back when he ran into the teenagers downtown.
“Two days later...whether it’s divine intervention, God moment, whatever you call it," Bottros said. "The first thing I said [was] ‘Hey I’m not trying to get you guys in trouble, I’m not getting police involved, I’m here to help you guys out.’”
It was a conscious choice to see the good, as Peter is now hoping the kids come back to SHINE.
But this time, he wants them to be looking for a mentor, rather than trouble.
“This is what we do here," said Bottros. "Our job is to get kids off the street and provide opportunities for them and they’re just kids. I’d rather have them come here and get their life together rather than be in jail. You go to jail, you come out, you probably do the same thing over and over again.”
It's a lesson he wants everyone to take away.
“There’s always good in every bad situation, and I hope something good comes out of this," he said.