Carol DeAngelis, Vice President

I was volunteering as a tutor at the library when I met Margarita.  She had been in the United States for many years and requested a tutor to help her with English.  Over the last several years, we have become good friends.

Margarita works in a factory sewing large tubes for use in mines, tunnels, and other industry.  She works 48-60 hours a week and the work is hard on her shoulders and neck.  The job has been a good one for a single-mom who was able to raise two children to be hard-working, successful adults.

A few years ago, Margarita told me that she was collecting clothes, shoes and blankets to send to needy people in Guatemala.  She was sending the boxes to her sister  who would then distribute them to the poorest people in the remote mountain areas.  In order to make money for postage to ship the large boxes to Guatemala, Margarita made sweet bread and sold it to friends, co-workers and neighbors.  She was able to send several boxes every year.

Then Margarita went on a retreat with the Catholic Church.  She was searching for a mission and prayed for an answer.  Her answer was to form a non-profit organization to help the poorest people in the mountain areas not just with clothing, but with food, shelter from the weather and medical assistance.  She asked me if I would like to help her with her project.  She has told me many very sad stories of her visits to Guatemala and how desperately these people need help.  Growing up in the United States, it is hard for me to imagine how these people are able to survive.  It is my honor to do whatever I can to help Margarita achieve this mission.

Carol DeAngelis is a retired engineer.  She previously was the Area Manager of the Western Colorado Area Office of the Bureau of Reclamation, serving areas of western Colorado and New Mexico.  She has been retired for many years.  She lives in Grand Junction with her husband, Mike.