"We're doing everything we can to keep it running," said Sundaram Rama, the agency's youth coordinator. "It's been a struggle, but at the same time it's been an opportunity.
"You have to look at the difficulties and figure out a new way to do things," he said. "That's when you grow."
There's a lot at stake.
Since tracking began several years ago, the agency has seen the graduation rate among its high-school students zoom from 50% to 97%, Rama said. Eight in 10 students go on to college.
Kheang Tang and Moryna Tann, both 17, said the teenagers are doing what they can to help raise money: holding bake sales and carwashes to fund special events such as an annual camping trip to the Sequoias.
"This is such a good place to hang out," Tann said. "It's an opportunity to see your friends and get help."
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HOW TO GIVE
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All donations are tax-deductible. Contributions of $50 or more may be published in The Times unless a donor requests otherwise; acknowledgment cannot be guaranteed. For more information call (800) LATIMES, Ext. 75771.
