Meet Angela

I was born and raised on the east side of Madison to my parents, Kathy and Scott. I have two sisters, Rochelle and Ryanne. Growing up, we lived in a very small three-bedroom home with a fenced in yard and pool. We quickly grew out of our family home and moved up the street to a larger four-bedroom home with a huge backyard, sidewalks to ride bikes and great neighbors.

My mother and father were two of the most hardest working people I know. My mother owned a small balloon business, and my father was a Madison Parks Department employee for 44 years. I learned about work ethic at a very young age and saw that if I really wanted something in life, I needed to go after it.

I went to La Follete High School and met some amazing friends who I remain close with today. I also met people that weren’t the greatest influences, which led me to make some poor decisions. Reality quickly set in after hanging with the wrong crowd and dropping out of high school. I knew I wanted a better life for myself, so I went back to school and received my GED. After working in childcare for 17 years, I decided I wanted to attend college and follow my passion in dentistry. I graduated with a dental assistant certificate. It was such an amazing feeling to finally accomplish a goal I had set for myself. From that moment on I knew I could accomplish anything I put my mind to.

I was living back at my parents’ home while going to school. During that time my father had been fighting cancer and was progressively getting sicker. It’s almost as if he waited to see me walk across the stage at graduation before really slowing down. My father passed away in January of 2014.

I started focusing on applying for dental assistant positions in Sun Prairie. My very first day of working in the dental field I learned I was pregnant. So many emotions filled my head. I knew all my hopes and dreams were becoming a reality. I also knew that I needed to work and provide for the little human who would depend on me. I started looking for places to live and ended up on a waiting list for my current home.

I continued to work at the dental office in Sun Prairie through my pregnancy. I had some complications and when I was five months pregnant, I started to dilate. They rushed me into emergency surgery and I delivered a 4 pound, 10 ounce healthy baby girl five weeks early. I truly believe my father looked over me while I was pregnant and was a special angel for my daughter. However, a short while after my beautiful daughter was born, she become very ill and was hospitalized for respiratory infections. I quickly learned that she had severe asthma and allergies to many different things, including peanuts.

Balancing life, health complications, changing jobs and moving was very challenging, but I only became stronger in the process.

When Averie was about six weeks old I received a call saying that there was an available apartment for rent. We moved March of 2014 and have met amazing neighbors, some of whom are also single mothers trying to give their children the world. Our children all love each other and we, as their mothers, help each other out. Although I lived next to some amazing ladies, there was still something missing. I missed the security and sense of place that came with having a home. I want so much to give my daughter the life she deserves. I want to give her a home she can grow up in and always know she can come back to, like my parents did for me. That is why I am fighting so hard to make that dream come true for my daughter and myself.