DAILY NEWS PEOPLE : ANGELA GONZALEZ.Byline: - Kathleen Cole A cloudless summer day, warmth, laughter and singing - lots of singing. These simple words describe Angela Gonzalez. She first came to this country from El Salvador El Salvador (ĕl sälväthōr`), officially Republic of El Salvador, republic (2005 est. pop. 6,705,000), 8,260 sq mi (21,393 sq km), Central America. at 17. She didn't speak English. Those were truly difficult times for her, yet she managed to make positive use of her own troubles. ``There was a time when I was a person in need, and I never found the support I needed. And the fact that I didn't find anybody - that motivated me to help others,'' says Angela. ``When I see a person who has difficulty expressing themselves because they don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. English, then I feel something inside me and I offer my help. I may not know a lot of English, but the little bit I do know is enough to help me and other people.'' AGE: 35 RESIDENCE: Canoga Park BORN AND RAISED IN: Angela was born in Honduras and raised in El Salvador. She came to Canoga Park when she was 17. Now a legal resident of the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , Angela is in the process of becoming a citizen. OCCUPATION: She is a volunteer and a mom. MARITAL STATUS marital status, n the legal standing of a person in regard to his or her marriage state. : Single. CHILDREN: Her five children are Nancy, 18; Brenda, 14; Javy, 13; Mireille, 11; Sofia, 8. ``They're wonderful kids,'' says Angela. ``Not the kind of kids that are involved with gangs or have problems in school. I like to be involved in school. And we have a lot of communication; this makes a difference.'' VOLUNTEERISM: Angela began working as a volunteer for El Centro El Centro (ĕl sĕn`trō), city (1990 pop. 31,384), seat of Imperial co., SE Calif., near the Mexican border; inc. 1908. It is a processing and shipping center for a heavily irrigated agricultural region (vegetables, grain, cotton, de Amistad Inc. in 1990. Now celebrating 21 years of service, the ``center of friendship'' provides parenting classes, individual and group counseling, tutoring, job training, and food and clothing. ``I help them,'' she says. ``People looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. work. I call schools for leftover lunches and pizza places for pizzas that are ordered but not picked up. I organize and distribute the food to day laborers day labor n. Labor hired and paid by the day. day laborer n. Noun 1. and the homeless.'' HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED?: ``The first time I needed help, I couldn't find anybody to tell me what to do. I saw other people looking for help (at El Centro). I saw an opportunity to help. I started at El Centro just cleaning up. They trained me, and after a year I started doing what I do now.'' WHY DO YOU VOLUNTEER?: ``One of the things that motivated me was that I saw the needs of the other people ... I have the time and capacity, so why not help them? It is a great satisfaction being able to give at least a grain of sand of your time for those people who need it.'' GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: ``There are people who don't know how to read and write, and I have helped them to understand what some important papers say. It is sad to know that those people didn't have an opportunity to learn and be frustrated frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: about it. It is important for me that they know that in the place I am in (El Centro), there are people capable to help them in what they need. The fact of being able to help is something you feel inside your heart, a feeling that makes you different from the rest, a feeling of love that you can't explain. The satisfaction of being able to see a smile of gratitude from the people you helped.'' GOALS FOR THE FUTURE: ``My dream is to help people. I don't like to see people homeless. In the future, I want to change that. I want to make a lot of changes. I'm never going to quit there (El Centro).'' ROLE MODELS: ``Monsignor Oscar Romero, a priest from El Salvador. Someone killed him in his church in 1989. He was always there to help the poor people. I loved the way he always spoke the truth. He spoke for those who couldn't speak for themselves. He's my hero.'' DO YOU HAVE A SECRET PLEASURE?: ``I'm a singer. Karaoke karaoke (Japanese; “empty orchestra”) Use of a device that plays instrumental accompaniments to songs with the vocal tracks removed, permitting the user to sing the lead. . On Friday nights and sometimes on Saturdays, I sing at El Miueleno, a Spanish restaurant in downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or . I love to sing.'' HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS?: ``My definition of success is to have a goal and work really hard, with sacrifices, with strength and with love. I feel right now I already have success because I'm right here. And while God gives me life, I will plant seeds of help and watch them grow for my kids and family and other people.'' FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: ``I love to play basketball with my children and go hiking hiking Walking, often among hills or mountains, as recreational sport. It represents an activity in its own right and also figures in backpacking, camping, hunting, mountaineering, and orienteering. .'' WHAT WOULD BE A PERFECT DAY FOR YOU?: ``Sunday with my children.'' CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Angela Gonzalez Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News |
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