Christina Garcia is one of LIFT’s veteran volunteers. She has been a part of the LIFT-Los Angeles team for over three years and is a shining example of how it only takes one person to make a difference in the lives of the families we serve.
Christina discovered LIFT through her sorority’s network and decided to volunteer her time helping Angeleno families gain access to much needed resources.
“I volunteer at LIFT because it enables me to make a difference in someone’s life,” said Christina. “I am thankful to go to work every day knowing I will be helping someone with something that they desperately need.”
As a volunteer at LIFT-Los Angeles, Christina works with families who are in need of housing, employment, and financial assistance. Tackling the barriers of intergenerational poverty is no easy task, but it doesn’t stop Christina from doing everything in her power to ensure that her members are given the chance to change their lives for the better.
“I’m an agent of change,” says Christina. “It is an honor to have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with members of our community to offer them support, a listening ear, and to validate their feelings.”
Throughout her time at LIFT, Christina has had the opportunity to help many our LIFT-Los Angeles families. One of the families that Christina has developed a particularly strong relationship with is that of Katherinne and Jose Ivan.
Katherinne and Jose Ivan are a young immigrant couple from El Salvador. They came to LIFT seeking help with finding employment and housing. After their first meeting with Christina, Katherinne and Jose Ivan disclosed the fact that they were living in a car and that Katherinne was expecting a child.
Christina immediately connected them with a housing shelter and began working with them on a weekly basis to achieve their goals. After a few months of working side by side, Christina was able to find them affordable housing, employment for Jose Ivan, organize a fund to buy them a car and connect them to a program that provides baby supplies for low income families.
Katherinne and Jose Ivan were so thankful for all of Christina’s help that they decided to give their new baby girl the same middle name as Christina: Elizabeth.
“The members that I have met throughout my time at LIFT have changed my life,” says Christina. “They inspire me, motivate me, they give me hope. Just to see how resilient they are throughout their hardships, and how they refuse to give up is wonderful. They are my LIFT family.”