About Us

Mission Statement

L.A.U.R.A. is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of the residents of South Central Los Angeles. We accomplish this by empowering youth, victim-survivors, and their families through civic awareness; facilitating community collaboration; and bringing a wide range of resources to the community.

Our Vision

Our vision is to create a thriving, sustainable, safe, and clean community for all the residents of South Central Los Angeles. Through community collaboration, partnership development, and innovative initiatives, we hope to one day have multiple youth resource centers within in our community.

Declaración de Objetivos

L.A.U.R.A. es una organización no lucrativa dedicada a preservar y mejorar las vidas de las víctimas de actos de violencia, incivilizados y despiadados, a sus familias y la comunidad del Sur de Los Ángeles. L.A.U.R.A. logra esto por conocimiento creciente, autorizando la comunidad y facilitando recursos. logra esto a través de la sensibilización ciudadana, capacitando la comunidad para abogar por sí mismos, la facilitación de la colaboración comunitaria, y trayendo recursos a la comunidad.

Nuestra Visión

Nuestra visión es crear una comunidad fuerte sostenible, en un medio ambiente próspero para todos los residentes del sur de Los Ángeles. A través de la construcción de colaboración, la creación de asociaciones e iniciativas innovadoras, esperamos algún día tener Centros de Recursos, los clubes de la juventud dentro de una milla de diferencia en nuestra comunidad.

History

“The organization “L.A.U.R.A” was formed in memory of Laura Sanchez. Laura was murdered on March 18, 2007 while parking her family van in front of her home. She was a wonderful, beautiful, loving mother of four and friend to many. She was an only child to Irene Cruz who was murdered the same way on a Thanksgiving night while waiting for Laura and her family on her mother’s front porch November 1998. Both innocent bystanders murdered by senseless “Drive By Shootings” in less than a decade In South L.A.”

About Our Founder

Adela Barajas and seven other siblings grew up in the South Central Los Angeles area and attended local schools. When her sister-in-law, Laura, was murdered in a drive-by shooting, she was compelled to become a part of the solution. She became a community advocate and is committed to finding ways to turn such tragedies into positive outcomes for her family and community. She has become a support system for Laura’s kids and other victims’ survivors in her community who are dealing with the cruel tragedy of losing a loved one.

Our Strategies

• Public Safety
  • Continue building Police/Community Relations
    • Building Block Clubs
  • Growing Our Community Collaborative into a Regional Collaborative
  • Promote Gang Prevention and Intervention
• Youth Engagement
  • Creating Opportunities for Youth
    • Jobs
    • Connect with Youth Justice Coalition (JYC)
  • Youth Empowerment
  • Youth Forums
• Community Infrastructure
  • Community Beautification
  • City/County Service Delivery
  • Attracting New Businesses
  • Improving Local Parks
• Safety Net for Victims of Crime
  • Offer Victims of Crime Assistance
    • Candle Vigils, Referrals
  • Support Groups
    • Tuesdays @ Fred Roberts Park 5:00pm
    • Third Sunday of the Month @ 200 N. Long Beach Blvd. Compton, CA 3:00pm