Angel - Booth House
More than 20 years ago at just 13, Angel was taken to Booth House (a youth shelter for ages 12-17) when he could no longer live at home with his abusive mother. For the next several years, Angel was in and out of Booth House, sleeping at friends’ and relatives ’homes, or in the park if the weather allowed, finally moving into the Barnabas Transition Independent Living Program when he got to be too old for Booth House. Around that same time, Angel’s mother moved to Oregon without telling him.
Angel did not lose hope. With the support of the staff at The Salvation Army, he kept moving forward. Angel went back to school for his High School diploma, then worked his way through Onondaga Community College, majoring in Criminal Justice. When he got married and became a father at 20, a work injury forced him to become a ‘Stay at Home’ dad. Angel taught his children the value of an education and made sure that regardless of what was going on, his two kids would see his smiling face for every sports event or school performance. Twenty years after Angel first found shelter at Booth House, he called to return the favor; Angel and his co-workers had collected an entire room full of toys and donations for the children living at Booth House. Angel wanted them to know they were not forgotten during the holidays, and that there was hope beyond homelessness