Newest Bristol Rotarian: Angela Pacheco Cabral

Posted by Mike Davis 
 
Angela Cabral gives her Classification Talk at the July 31st meeeting. No stranger to Rotary, she was sponsored by her Dad: Fred Pacheco, Past President and Paul Harris Fellow.Image
 

Rotary Classification Speech – July 31, 2013

 

Good Afternoon. My name is Angela Cabral and I am a relatively new member of the Bristol Rotary Club since February this year. Chris asked me to present my Classification Speech to you today and to share my background.

 

Immigration:

I was born on the island of Terceira in the Azores and immigrated to the USA when I was 4 years old with my father, Rotarian Fred Pacheco, my mother, Deodete and 8-month old brother, Paulo. My brother is a graduate of Brown Medical School and is currently a Gastroenterologist in Manhattan.

 

When we arrived in the US, we lived in Middletown, Connecticut and then moved to Bristol about a year later, where my dad started a Travel Agency business with my mother. Bristol was very appealing town to my parents because it was vibrant, beautiful, diverse and had a strong Portuguese community. Imagine uprooting yourself and your young family from your homeland, selling everything you own and starting a new life in a foreign country. This takes much courage, vision and determination. I am indebted to my parents for giving my brother and me the opportunity to live the “American Dream”.

 

Education & Family:

I went to Bristol public schools most of my life and graduated from Fatima High School.  I received a B.A. in Communications, Public Relations and Management from Rhode Island College in 1985. While I was R.I.C, I worked as an intern for 3 years at IBM Corporation in Providence. This was an invaluable work experience for me and provided me with a strong foundation in business.

 

I am married to my high school sweetheart, Arthur Cabral for 27 years. After we married, Arthur went to law school at night for 3 years to earn is Law-Juris Doctorate Degree. Currently he has his own practice in New Bedford.  I have 2 beautiful daughters, Sara who is 22 and will attend UMass-Amherst Graduate School this fall.  Sofia is 16 and attends BayView Academy.  Our family enjoys quality time together, especially living on the water, boating and traveling.

 

I am a life time member of the Bristol 4th of July Committee and enjoy the excitement that Bristol’s famous celebration brings to our community and beyond.

 

My career:

I was part of the Executive Management team at Travelers Insurance for 23 years.

 

I also managed my parents travel business when my children were very young. My youngest daughter Sofia is hearing impaired with a moderate hearing loss. Working with my parents at the Travel agency gave me the flexibility to go to Meeting Street School and the RI School for the Deaf with her. Early intervention was critical to her development and successful progress. I am very blessed and fortunate that today at 16, Sofia is an ‘A’ student and a talented athlete winning Athlete/Scholar of the Year at BayView for the past 2 years. 

 

Currently, I am the Administrator at Franklin Court Assisted Living in Bristol and have been there since last September.  I absolutely love my new career in working with the elderly and disabled.  Franklin Court is such a beautiful and vibrant community. I am blessed to learn from our residents about their personal life journey, the important things in life and not to take things for granted.

 

Franklin Court is a very independent style assisted living. The way I like describe it is….an all-inclusive resort for our residents, where all their meals, entertainment, activities, housekeeping, laundry and transportation are taken care of for them. We also provide them with round-the-clock personalized care for their wellness and activities of daily living, such as dressing, bathing and medication management if they choose these services. We welcome you to visit Franklin Court Assisted to see for yourself what a special place this is.

 

Why I joined Rotary:

In closing, I am very honored and grateful to be part of Bristol’s Rotary Club. My dad has been a proud member for over 30 years and encouraged me to join. I attended many Rotary functions and learned about the great things this organization has done, not only our local community but around the world as well.  I truly believe in the values of this club and Service Above Self.  Thank you for accepting me into the club.  I am fully committed and look forward to working with all of you to do whatever I can to assist.

 

Thank you.