Landing the executive director's post at Mary's Shelter of the Treasure Coast, a homeless shelter for pregnant women and their babies, was "an answer to a prayer" for Angela Lowe.
It's not that she didn't like her seven years at Hibiscus Children's Center, where she was the program director for the outpatient mental health program. She enjoyed it.
Mary's Shelter was the place she wanted to be someday. And that day came in March.
Lowe knows a thing or two about being a young, single, pregnant woman. She was just 13 and almost six months pregnant when she told her parents.
Her son was born three months early and with cerebral palsy.
But unlike some of the women she helps, Lowe had a very supportive family and was never homeless.
"Everybody wrapped their arms around me and supported me," Lowe remembers.
Now she's doing the same for the women at Mary's Shelter.
Through counseling and education, the shelter prepares mothers with newborns for independent living and gives them hope.
Lowe is responsible for residence operations and staffing, board and volunteer management, and strategic direction for fund development and program delivery.
Lowe also will work to develop collaborative initiatives with other agencies that serve pregnant mothers and children.
"Working with the newborns is the best part," she says.
Born in Charlotte, N.C., Lowe moved with her parents to Port St. Lucie when she was a toddler.
While she is quick to point to the support of a strong family, Lowe also says she had "amazing perseverance" that propelled her to get an education and jobs to help her along the way.
Now she's helping to empower other women to do the same.
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