Angel inspires Monica's partnership of care
6 February 2015
Monica and her mother (centre) together with Monica's sister and brother
Monica Gould decided to become a Salvos Freedom Partner in honour of her mother, who had a “very special encounter” with The Salvation Army many years ago.
A Bribie Island (Qld)-based receptionist, mother and grandmother, Monica says her mother Josephine, known as “Jessie”, tragically lost her battle with breast cancer in 1995, but had always spoken highly of The Salvation Army.
“Mum and Dad and my older sisters were born in Malta, which was a very poor country, and years ago my parents came out to Australia looking for a better life,” Monica relates.
“Not long after Mum got to Australia, Dad was taken to hospital. My mother either didn’t have enough money to get all the way there, or didn’t know the way, or quite likely, both.”
Monica continues: “Mum somehow found herself all alone in a new country, lost, sitting on a public bench sobbing, knowing her husband was in hospital, but unable to get there.
“It was then that somebody from the Salvos happened to come up to her and ask if she was OK. That gentleman, she says, helped Mum with some money and took her to the hospital.
“For the rest of her life, Mum would talk about having nobody to turn to, when the man from The Salvation Army showed up like ‘an angel from heaven’.
“The event occurred long before I was born, but all my life my mother spoke very highly of The Salvation Army. After Mum died (and now that my children have grown up) I decided to become a Salvos Freedom Partner and give a set amount every month to help.
“It really is so important to make sure the Salvos are there to help others in need.”
Salvos Freedom Partners are a very special group of committed people who donate every month to help people in times of most hardship and hurt. The Salvation Army relies on people like Monica to care for people all throughout the year.
Salvation Army officer Major Bruce Harmer says, “It’s such a comfort for all of us here to know we have generous people like Monica working alongside us as we take their care to hurting people.
“The reliable and faithful support of Freedom Partners helps those in greatest need find a way out of their desperate situation, to find independence, self-respect and hope.
“Those gifts help so many in our community who are struggling with the challenges of homelessness, natural disaster, disadvantage or family crisis.”