ATHENA Finalist: Pam Gaber, Gabriel's Angels

Pam Gaber admits she didn’t leave a successful corporate career dreaming of starting a charity. But in leaving to find herself, she found her true calling – one that has a profound impact on children in Arizona.

It was on a volunteer visit to Crisis Nursery, a Phoenix children’s shelter, in 1999 that Gaber noticed the kids were drawn to her pet Weimaraner, Gabriel. Shelter workers told of the healing and nurturing effects Gabriel’s frequent visits had on the abused and neglected youngsters.

That day, I realized the connection between pets and kids was magical,” Gaber says. “It’s invisible, yet undeniable. This is what I was supposed to do to help my community.”

Two years later, Gaber founded Gabriel’s Angels, which today has more than 150 Pet Therapy Teams serving 113 agencies and reaching 13,000 at-risk children throughout the state each year. Under Gaber’s leadership, it has become a vibrant, high profile, financially strong charity that strives to break the cycle of violence.

And while Gabriel, the inspiration for Gaber’s work, passed away in 2010, his legacy lives on – thanks to the woman who left without a destination, yet found the perfect direction for her life.