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Ministry helps at-risk teens
L.A.M.P. Ministries has aided about 200 people since 1996
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Mary Mauricio, Carmela Villalobos and Ruben Mauricio pose for a photo in front of the Mauricios’ house on June 5. The Mauricios have kept more than 2,000 at-risk kids in their L.A.M.P. Ministries house over the past 19 years, and many of those kids, including Villalobos, think of the Mauricios as their grandparents. - photo by Erin O. Smith
Like many kids her age, Carmela Villalobos wanted to do things her way or not at all. Now, the 15-year-old girl is trying to find a better life for herself and repair what is left of an unhealthy relationship with her mother. She spent the past eight months in someone else’s home, and this month, Villalobos graduated from the program created by L.A.M.P. Ministries Inc., a local Latin American missionary program and rehabilitation center for at-risk teens founded by Mary and Ruben Mauricio.