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Caption: The Barrio Girls
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Caption: Since 2013, the women called the Barrio Girls have volunteered for humanitarian projects with their husbands and old classmates, who make up the Ghost Town Survivors.
The survivors are former gang members, veterans and businessmen who have helped families in need in their old West side neighborhood for the past six years.
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Caption: "We are the backbone of the Ghost Town Survivors."
Barrio Girls president, Irma Aguilar
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Caption: Families and friends nicknamed the women "The Barrio Girls" in the mid-1960s because of their tight bond.
The name followed them through school, quinceaneras, jobs, marriages, births, divorces, abusive relationships, triumphs and tragedies.
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Caption: “This is my strength. It’s my barrio,” said Lupita Falcon, whose husband, Ralph, died in 2012. "If I wasn’t involved in this I’d probably be home crying.”
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Caption: "The whole group is amazing, they lift a big burden off of us."
Ghost Town Survivors president, Leonard "Lalo" Mendez
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Caption: As a group, the Barrio Girls have goals of their own. They help teenaged girls recovering from substance abuse and last year helped the survivors raise $11,000. Some of the funds goes to three churches where they once worshiped in the old Ghost Town neighborhood
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