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The Beginning of Our Journey
Dear LAMP Community,
Last month I shared about the Sisters who started South Central LAMP. This month I would like to share a little more about our history. Those first days, that got us to where we are today.
Many of you know we were started after the civil unrest of 1992 and that the sisters who canvased the neighborhood asked residents how they could be of service. They held town hall meetings, attended community events, and met in parishes to hear from as many people as they could from the community.
Once they were ready to put into action this new program, they found their first homes at the community center of Villa Esperanza in South Los Angeles and John Bosco Church, spending a half day in each location. We were also located at Stella Maris - Residence for Women, a Sisters of Social Service facility, and a Middle School Building of Holy Cross Catholic Church. Initially the programs were in both English and Spanish, but slowly they found more Spanish speakers coming to the programs and less English speakers, so the program began to adapt.
In the beginning all the classes were run by the sisters who volunteered their time. Some lent their gifts to teach the adults, others lent their gifts to teach the children.
But these gifts were shared outside the classrooms as well, Sr. Simone Campbell, a Sister of Social Services, wrote the bylaws for South Central LAMP. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Sr. Simone has been a champion for social justice. She was the Executive Director for NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, a national Catholic social justice organization. The organization focuses its lobbying efforts on the areas of economic justice, immigration reform, healthcare, peacemaking and ecology. Many know this organization through the Nuns on the Bus tour. In 2022 Sr. Simone received the Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden.
I wanted to share this part of our history because it’s important to remember just how far we have come. It hasn't been easy, but it has been absolutely rewarding. Just as the sisters brought their gifts to help form our new agency, our donors, volunteers, staff and Board members all bring their gifts to continue the work started 31 years ago. The sisters really illustrated to us how collaboration and the sharing of gifts was and is still the key to success.
Today, South Central LAMP continues this valuable tradition of collaboration and the sharing of gifts by partnering with over 20 local agencies to provide quality supportive services to our community. The truth is, we cannot do anything alone and why would we want to? The joy of serving people is not just to be of service, but to be part of a community who hold the same values, and love for those you love.
Diana Z. Pinto
Executive Director
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