The DRAGG program was very busy in 2022 with class project vehicles, field trips, the class of 2022 graduation, and several community events. We appreciate our staff, volunteers, and supporters for all that they do to keep the DRAGG Program moving forward.
We are happy to announce that our Comedy Night Fundraiser is back! Please join us for some fun and laughs plus a silent auction on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, at 7:30 pm.
Tickets are on sale at https://draggteam-2022.eventbrite.com
DRAGG Team and students are proud to present Beach Watch 758 winner of SEMA Ford Special Recognition and Design Award. Thank you to Ford Motor Company for supporting our program and students. Learn more here.
Oxnard - Thursday, June 3, 2021 - DRAGG Program students from Oxnard Union High School District celebrated the completion of the semester with their friends and families at DRAGG HQ. Students met, and in most cases exceeded, their hours needed for completion and school credit.
Because of the pandemic, classes were smaller and social distancing/masks were enforced. This year, the small class size turned out to be a benefit with the students becoming a tight-knit family. Out of the 10 students that completed the program, 5 students were graduating seniors and DRAGG awarded each senior with scholarships for continuing education! Our students are excited to move onto Community Colleges and Trade Schools, while one graduate was accepted to a 4-Year University! Among the graduates, DRAGG unveiled the first recipient of the George Barris Memorial Scholarship, to Alexis Marquez for his exceptional leadership in the DRAGG Program.
In attendance were representatives of Oxnard Union High School District, and Career Education, along with Superintendent Dr. McCoy, Oxnard Police Commander Luis McArthur, and the DRAGG Board of Directors. The event was made possible by the generous support of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers - they provided and served chicken fingers and lemonade to all of our guests.
Over the course of the school semester, students participated in a hybrid-education model, with in-person instruction, as well as virtual online classes. The combination proved to be innovative for DRAGG, with our students making the most of it. Students learned all aspects of automotive care and maintenance with classes ranging in battery & electrical, wheels & tires, brakes, fluids, engine, bodywork, interior detailing, while also participating in demonstrations by local business owners and leaders in the community.
DRAGG is incredibly proud of our students and we look forward to the next class in September 2021.
About the George Barris Memorial Scholarship: George Barris is known throughout the world as "the original King of Kuztomizers." His creations are legendary in the world of television and motion pictures including the likes of the original television series Batmobile, KITT from Knight Rider, and more. George Barris and the Barris Family have been longtime supporters of our students and have created a partnership to honor the legacy of George Barris. The George Barris Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a graduating DRAGG Program Senior who demonstrates exceptional leadership amongst their peers.
DRAGG announced on Saturday, May 8th, the winner of their Annual Car Giveaway: Local Oxnard resident, and single father of four foster teens, Marco Jimenez.
Marco Jimenez and his family were given a refurbished 2005 Toyota Matrix. He was selected by the DRAGG Program students as the recipient among a dozen applications submitted from Port Hueneme and Oxnard.
DRAGG Program Students also completely refurbished the vehicle, which was donated by another Ventura resident, Marianne Caprino, a mortgage loan originator for The Money Store. Students used the knowledge they gained from class instruction to work on brakes, brake pads, changing tires, restoring the engine, replace the battery, check the electrical, smooth out bodywork, and even interior detailing courtesy of Eight O Five Detail Shop. The fresh paint job was provided by Commercial Auto Body, a long-standing partner of DRAGG.
Other supporters of the vehicle project include local agencies, Oxnard Monday Club, Castro Realty Company, and Silver Mortgage Group. The legendary Barris Kustoms Industries also contributed funds to the completion of the project vehicle.
Executive Director and Founder, Sergeant Daniel Shrubb says, "It just connects everything," he said. "The kids understand how to give back, and their hard work is now helping another person in need."
The car giveaway comes in the midst of DRAGG's Car Show Cruise 2, where vehicles from all over Ventura County gathered to support the DRAGG Program. For more information on the Car Show, please visit the Events portion of our website.
Oxnard, CA, September 24, 2020
DRAGG announced today it has been named a “2020 Top-Rated Nonprofit” by GreatNonprofits, the leading provider of user reviews of charities and nonprofits.
DRAGG provides a safe place for high school youth to learn the basics of automotive skills, while being mentored by local Police Officers and Business & Community Leaders in Oxnard, Ventura County, Santa Barbara, and Phoenix, resulting in increased graduation rates, job placement & internships, and community engagement.
“We are honored to be named a 2020 Top-Rated Nonprofit,” says Daniel Escobar, Program Development Manager, DRAGG. “We are proud of our accomplishments this year, including being the only after-school program with an Oxnard Union High School District partnership operating with live in-person instruction.”
The Top-Rated Nonprofit Award is based on the rating and number of reviews that DRAGG received from volunteers, donors, and aid recipients. “They are so much more than an automotive after school program for kids. Students learn about the varying aspects within the automotive industry in combination with work-based essential soft skills from industry and business professionals,” said one reviewer.
“DRAGG is a great example of a nonprofit making a real difference in their community,” said Perla Ni, CEO of GreatNonprofits, “Their award is well-deserved recognition not only of their work, but the tremendous support they receive, as shown by the many outstanding reviews they have received from people who have direct experience working with DRAGG.”
GreatNonprofits is the leading website where people share stories about their personal experiences on more than 1.6 million charities and nonprofits. The GreatNonprofits Top- Rated Awards are the only awards for nonprofits determined by those who have direct experience with the charities – as donors, volunteers, and recipients of aid.
The complete list of 2020 Top Rated Nonprofits can be found at:
Dear DRAGG Supporters,
As the nation responds to the tragic death of Mr. George Floyd we feel it is appropriate for DRAGG to express our deepest sympathies for his family and community. It is also appropriate that we reaffirm our commitment to our youth and our mission statement; Empowering our youth by creating dynamic, innovative experiences to discover their unlocked potential.
DRAGG deeply values each of our students and their families. We have spent 11 years building and cultivating meaningful relationships between local Police Officers and our community of youth. We remain hopeful that our program and mission, as well as supporting our students, will move us forward.
We will always work together with students to discover their unlocked potential and build community around our neighborhoods.
Thank you for supporting DRAGG. Together we can continue to guide our students to success.
Our 2nd Annual, "A Road to a Brighter Future", is Saturday September 21st, 2019 here in Camarillo CA!
It's going to be an awesome event with our special guest Myles Kovacs Owner of DUB along with our display vehicle this year, the Knight 2000!!
Tickets are limited so click below to secure your seat today!
Hope to see you there!
The Oxnard Police Department and the DRAGG program are excited to announce our 3rd annual Downtown Car Show which will be held this year Sunday August 25th from 10am to 3pm.
We are expecting an even bigger turnout from last year. We will have show cars, gaming trailer, food vendors and fun for the kids. We will even have a dunk tank with more announcements on that coming our shortly.
We still have room for vendors and sponosrs for the event!
Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more info.
Looking for a summer time class, look no further, DRAGG will be holding a summer class during the month of July 2018. Classes start July 2nd and run til July 27th. Times for the classes will be from 130PM to 430PM Mon-Fri at the DRAGG shop located at 300 Graves Ave #f Oxnard CA 93030.
We will be going over basic and beginner automotive technology, work on great vehicle projects and go on informative field trips. We are looking for students from 9th to 12th to join the team this summer. Please go onto the VCOE website to sign up and register.
VCOE Website
The DRAGG program is helping victims of the Ventura County Fire by opening our shop to take in donations. We will be collecting donations for the next several days and transport them to the needed areas within the county. Our staff and students will be on hand collecting the donated items. Some of the items needed are:
We will be open between 9AM-6PM on Thur, Fri and Sat. The Shop Address is 300 Graves Ave #F Oxnard CA 93030
If you have any questions please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
If you are looking to make a monetary donation please check out the United Way who has set-up the Thomas Fire Fund and a text-to-give campaign. 100% of the donations will support those in our community affected by the wildfires. Donations can be made by texting UWVC to 41444, online at www.vcunitedway.org, or calling 805-485-6288. Checks may be sent to the United Way office at 702 County Square Drive, Suite 100, Ventura, CA 93003. Please write "Thomas Fire Fund" in the memo.
DRAGG traveled to Las Vegas NV. this week to attend the SEMA car show and display their new 2018 Ford Ecoboost mustang in the Ford booth. Earlier this year, DRAGG was awarded the new vehicle after putting in a proposal along with thousands of others throughout the country. The team received the Mustang in June and has been working on the project throughout the summer and up until the beginning on the car show on Oct 31.
The Mustang will be an display all week long in Vegas and return home to to begin its journey to many different car show, community events and races.
To a packed house, DRAGG program finished up another successful year here in the city of Oxnard. Our program graduated 35 students in June after they completed a full year program. We had started with over 60 students back in Aug of 2016. Throughout the year the class is made up of automotive instructors and class room studies that help get the students engaged into the automotive industry. We also take the students on field trips such as the Dragg races in Pomona, Oxnard Christmas Parade, Ventura County Jail and Formula Drift events in Long Beach.
The students are exposed to the industry and at the end of the school year, the program assists many of the Senior students with scholarships towards furthering their education. This year DRAGG was able to hand out over $35,000 in scholarship. With the help of Universal Technical Institute, DRAGG was able to give three large scholarships to attend their school.
This year was a huge success. We are looking forward to next year and with the help of Ventura County Office of Education, we will be opening classes in Oxnard, Camarillo and Fillmore which will help us serve students throughout Ventura County. We are also continuing to build our sponsorship partners. If you are interested in supporting our program, reach out to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Where did the idea of DRAGG come from??
DRAGG was started with just an idea from a couple of friends who were also Police Officers on the same department. Charles and Dan knew they could make a difference if given the chance.
Both grew up in the city of Oxnard and saw and heard the stories of how rough their city was. These car enthusiasts first met when they joined the Oxnard Police Department in 1996. They spent their years working patrol, SWAT and promoted through the ranks.
It was in 2007, that the idea of putting together a youth program landed on their door step. They sat down together and mapped out DRAGG. They started with developing the program into a non profit and later obtained their first vehicle, 2006 Ford GT Mustang. From there, the automotive industry was hooked. Charles and Dan saw that the doors were opening which gave them the opportunity to open up their first shop. They developed the relationship with the high school district and started the first after school program with the police department, school district and automotive industry. They knew they had a great recipe for success.
They have graduated over 5 classes with 100 plus students. They have also been able to give out over 35 scholarships and assisted in job placement with several of the students.
DRAGG is continuing with the success and helping expose students in high school with the automotive industry. Now they are working on expansion plans of the program to a city near you. They are working with Las Vegas, Tennessee and Texas departments to bring DRAGG programs in their communities.
Contact the DRAGG program at draggteam.org for more info on starting a program in your community.
