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The Durfee Foundation has awarded South Central LAMP one of the 2024 Lark Awards! The Lark Awards support the collective care and renewal of staff at small community-centered organizations with deep roots in their Los Angeles communities.
We are so proud to share this incredible news with our community. For so long we have had to survive year to year, which not only burned out our team, but it also didn’t allow us to breathe long enough to take time to look to the future. It is important for us to not only deliver our mission with integrity, but that our mission expands to our staff, those who serve those we serve. That we care for our team as much as we care for our community.
We were audacious about what a small agency like ours can achieve. Can a small agency that has survived year to year be better than other employers despite its small budget? Can a nonprofit led by a woman of color who is the daughter of immigrant parents, with 90% of its team being women, and 90% of them women of color, be able to defy statistics, and expect to be more than just an employer? The answer is yes. Because we have something to prove.
As an agency that lives in South Los Angeles and employs many from the community or communities like South Los Angeles, we need to dispel the belief that a company can only succeed by sacrificing its employees with low wages and minimal benefits. We want our staff to feel the respect they deserve and ensure equitable wages. That being a woman, or women of color, or men of color, was not a reason to be treated differently in the world of employment.
And this is just the beginning, as soon as we complete our Strategic Plan, we'll share just how much audacity we have. Will there be free espresso coffee and flavored water in the break room? No, we don’t need those things, we’re South Central LAMP after all. All we want is to be the change we wish to see in the neighborhood–to have a healthy environment inside the agency as well as outside.
We wish to thank The Durfee Foundation for this incredible honor, and we are so thrilled to share this with our dedicated teachers and staff.
Sincerely,
Diana Z. Pinto
Executive Director
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