The boy who stole the donations has yet to make an appearance at Holman United Methodist Church in Los Angles since the 2001 incident, the Los Angles Times reported Saturday.

The Rev. Henry L. Masters said the incident prompted him to challenge members of the church to reach out to youths in some way.

The congregation pulled together $50,000 in donations to begin the program, the newspaper said.

Under the program, teens ages 14 to 18 get paid about $8 an hour to work at summer jobs around the community.

About 200 youths have completed the program since it began six years ago, the Times said.

The newspaper said participants attend personal development classes once a week to learn skills in such areas as time management and goal-setting.

"We can't choose our circumstances, but we can choose the way to respond," Masters said.