South Central Los Angeles Ministry Project (South Central LAMP) was founded in response to the 1992 civil unrest in Los Angeles by a collaboration of eight congregations of Catholic sisters. They canvassed the devastated neighborhood and asked how they could better support the community as it struggled to rebuild and survive.
In the responses the sisters heard a strong desire from mothers to enhance their parenting skills, improve their English literacy, and prepare their children for school and later success in life.
In dialogue with the local community, the founders developed family-centered programming that has grown to include, English as a second language (ESL) courses, parenting classes and early childhood education for children ages 0 – 5.
Today, South Central LAMP continues to provide a holistic approach to empowering families in the community. We believe that by investing in mothers, we are strengthening the entire family. Therefore, we empower the women we serve so that they become confident in themselves and their ability to be their child’s first teacher and advocate.
We do this by providing programs that develop skills to support learning at home. We offer inter-generational literacy activities, parenting and ESL courses, family advocacy, health education services, and access to a variety of community resources. Our family advocacy includes home visits for support and to address special family challenges.
All our programs are free of charge.
Daughters of Charity
Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary
Sisters of the Holy Faith – California Province
Sisters of the Holy Family
Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet
Sisters of St. Louis
Sisters of Notre Dame
Sisters of Social Service
Society of the Holy Child Jesus
Our Board of Trustees is our governing body, committed to interpreting the original vision of SC LAMP’s founders to meet and respond to the current needs of the community through SC LAMP’s social and educational programs. The Board of Trustees includes a member or lay delegate from each founding order and other professional lay persons.
Sr. Lisa Megaffin, SND, Vice Chair
Director of Mission Advancement Services Sisters of Notre Dame
Susan S. Rosenberg, Treasurer
Retired Finance and Administration Executive
Mary Fitzpatrick, Secretary
Representative for the Society of the Holy Child Jesus
DIRECTORS
Butch Schuman
Founder Chairman & CEO
Agro Farming Corporation
Cecilia Estrada
Representative
Sisters of the Holy Name of Jesus and Mary
Margaret Graf
General Counsel Archdiocese of Los Angeles
South Central LAMP is proud of its staff of educators and administrators who together carry out our mission. Every day they commit to creating the best environment for the families and children we serve. Thanks to their hard work, the families know they are surrounded by a knowledgeable, talented and constant network of support.
ADMINISTRATION
Diana Z. Pinto, Executive Director
Luz Saucedo, Office Manager
Xavier Sosa, Finance Operations Manager
Ninette Ayala, Development Director
Leila Guizar, Office Assistant
PROGRAM STAFF
Claudia Garcia, Program Director
Guadalupe Aquino, ECE Assistant
Blanca Arreola, ECE Educator
Araceli Estrada, ECE Educator
Cathy Garcia, ESL Coordinator
Ilce Moreno, ECE Educator
Rocio T. Mendez, ECE Educator
Caron Salazar, ESL Instructor
Helen Santillan, Family Advocate
Derek Sijder, ESL Instructor
Carla Silva, ECE Educator
Maria Soriano, ECE Educator
The Parent Advisory Board allows parents the opportunity to take an active role in the South Central LAMP program, establish a sense of program ownership, improve communication and develop leadership skills. Participation is voluntary, however more than 25 mothers have elected participate. The Parent Advisory Board meets regularly, provides input for program improvement and organizes events.
Become a part of South Central LAMP.
