Angela Gonzalez is being recognized with the Moorestown chapter of the DAR’s Women in American History award.
Each year, the Daughters of the American Revolution present the Women in American History award to a woman who is making a difference in their community and who serves as an example through her contributions in the areas of education, religion, social, scientific or cultural innovation. This April, the Moorestown chapter of the DAR is recognizing Angela Gonzalez with this honor.
“Angela has worked tirelessly in her community over the last two decades assisting the Hispanic community and other immigrants with issues that affect their lives most as they assimilate to our country,” said Kellianne Mayer, treasurer of the Moorestown chapter of the DAR. “Through the nonprofit agency she founded, Servicios Latinos works to break down barriers in education, employment, housing, transportation, health, immigration and other services.”
Gonzalez said her desire to help people started in earnest and she never planned on starting her own nonprofit. She was born in the Dominican Republic and came to the United States following four years at Santo Domingo at Univercidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo at the School of Architecture and Engineering.
Her nonprofit evolved from a personal tragedy. In 1998, Gonzalez lost her mother abruptly to an aneurism. She said the loss thrust her into tremendous depression for more than a year. In an effort to honor her mother, Gonzalez found herself at church one day. She said she wasn’t going for any particular reason other than to please her mother, but while she was there, she felt a renewed sense of purpose that sent her on a path of volunteering.
While her mother was alive, Gonzalez assisted her mother, who did not speak English, with calling doctors and setting up appointments. So, following her trip to church, Gonzalez, a Delran resident, went to the Mount Holly Gardens and began helping people facing language barriers by simply making phone calls on their behalf.
She said she was often struck by profound moments when the people she was helping would use the same phrases or names her mother used to use that affirmed she was on the right path.
“I just started helping people, and I noticed that my depression started to go away,” Gonzalez said. “Somehow I could see the face of my mother through the people that I was helping.”
Gonzalez said she began to realize the scale of the work that needed to be done for the Hispanic community in Burlington County, and so she contacted some local legislators who put her touch with Burlington County College. She said the college offered a space for her to do her volunteer work. While there, Gonzalez found herself interpreting for people to call the energy company or make doctor’s appointments.
“For them, it meant life; for me, all I did was help them and make a phone call for them,” Gonzalez said. “My healing came through that.”
Gonzalez wasn’t working at the time, and the wife and mother of three paid for paper and the phone bill using her family’s expenses. She said she didn’t even know what a nonprofit was, but as she was making these phone calls, she was constantly being asked what organization she was calling from. For that reason, she filed for nonprofit status in February 2000.
She said from there, they got a small discretionary grant and began fundraising to build Servicios Latinos de Burlington County, where she serves as the executive director. Today, the Westampton-based nonprofit agency offers English as a second language classes, citizenship classes, translation services and other resources for the Hispanic population of Burlington County.
For Gonzalez, creating and running the nonprofit has been a transformative experience. She said the work never feels like “work.” She said for some, a job can drain the life out of them, but each day, she feels injected with life because she is doing something she is passionate about.
“It rescued me, and it brought me life,” Gonzalez said. “I can go to bed knowing that I’m making a difference.”
Mayer has known Gonzalez for the last 17 years, and the pair met when Mayer began volunteering for Servicios Latinos. She said when the DAR began looking for someone in Burlington County to recognize with the Women in American History award at its April 7 chapter meeting, Gonzalez immediately came to mind as the embodiment of the award.
“She actively pioneers initiatives for people in need and is in in contact with New Jersey state representatives,” Mayer said. “She’s on the forefront always to make sure their voice is heard.”
Mayer said Gonzalez embraces all the United States has to offer, and her love for this country embodies what the DAR is all about. She said Gonzalez represents what women can accomplish if they set their minds on a goal.
Gonzalez said she was humbled when she learned the DAR wanted to recognize her. She said there are so many women in Burlington County making a difference every day. She said she accepted this award not for herself but on behalf of the community she represents.
A woman of profound faith, she said she takes no credit for her work. She said she was born to be a servant of the Lord, and there’s nothing that brings her more joy than to serve.
“It is important that we able to invest in life of other people and be able to see how you’re able to help others,” Gonzalez said. “Simple things can add to your life.”
