Joy, Peace, and Hope – Meet Angelita
It is our pleasure to present you Lifeline’s newest addition: Angelita Garth. You may have encountered Angelita at our clinic before, since she used to volunteer as a monthly speaker for our client group classes. She now occupies the position of Data Manager.
As such, she takes care of data management, data collection and data cleaning. Each time clients or students fill out surveys, Angelita is the one analyzing and drawing statistical conclusions from them. Being passionate about statistics, this mission fits her perfectly. In her own words, she is “excited to use [her] expertise in statistics to be able to demonstrate and quantify the difference that Lifeline is making in the lives of the people in the community”. An expertise that she earned and mastered during her studies and that brings great value to Lifeline. With her years of experience in adult education, Angelita will also be offering tutoring services to clients who are pursuing high school equivalency or higher education and will lead our client Bible study.
Born in Iowa, she first obtained a BS in Mathematics and Statistics, followed by an MS in Statistics from Iowa State University. Her husband, Dave, whom she married in 1993 shares the same passion, as he is currently working as a professor of Mathematics at Truman State University and has been a volunteer mentor in the DadLINE program.
When asked why she made the decision to join our team, Angelita’s answer was clear-cut: “I chose to come work at Lifeline because I love working with numbers and statistics. But what I love even more is to use statistics to show the awesome things that are going on in the community. Anyone that spends time around Lifeline can see the great things that are happening here. And having the opportunity to quantify those things using data and statistical analysis is super exciting to me”. Our Lifeline team is truly blessed to have someone so committed to using her skills and talents to produce change in the lives of those we serve.
During her spare time, Angelita loves to practice her favorite hobby: gardening. Her dream is to one day have “a little acreage with a big garden and a bunch of chickens”. In the meantime, she enjoys being outside and staying active. As a mother of three who are now 22, 20, and 18, she feels relieved to have all of them stay in town for a bit longer, while attending Truman: “I wasn’t excited to have an empty nest, so it is nice to still have all three of them close for a few more years”, she says.
For the last twenty years, one of Angelita’s goals has been to pour into her family and raise her kids in the ways of the Lord. In addition, she hopes to make a difference in the lives of her neighbors, church, and in the community in general. Her favorite Bible verse reflects her joyful spirit: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”. (Romans 15:13). To her, this verse “describes how [she] wants [her] life to be, no matter [her] circumstances”. Let’s pray that her presence with us and her work will transmit the “joy, peace, and hope that comes in knowing Christ”, she hopes to bring, in the lives of those we serve.
Written by Elodie Takamiya.
