About Us
Our mission is to celebrate angels & improve bereavement care in Northern Louisiana.
Our History
In early 2020, Kila Gonzales and Maranda Salters, founders of the local Non-Profits I Will Carry You and the Zoey Renee Project, respectively, met as two mothers who shared the common pain of losing a child. Little did they know, their shared pain and common passion for supporting families experiencing pregnancy and infant loss, would evolve into so much more. They discovered two minds, and hearts, can do much more together than they ever could as one.
So, together, they began brainstorming, planning, sharing their experiences, and praying for change. Although the details of their loss were different, they realized their visions were the same. They both desired to give fellow loss families a way to freely and openly celebrate the their precious babies while also changing the way they are cared for in the hospital and clinic settings. This is where The Angel’s Gala was born.
Our Planning Committee
Kila Gonzales
Co-Founder, Co-Host, Logistics, Sponsorship, & Marketing Coordinator + Eva’s Mom
Kila is a 36-year-old wife and mother of five. She has three living children, Maxwell (7), Mia (3) & Luke (1), and two babies waiting on her in heaven, Gabriella and Eva Katherine. Kila is originally from Arkansas, but has called Monroe, Louisiana home for the past 18 years. Kila graduated from The University of Louisiana at Monroe with a Bachelor’s Degree in Science and Nursing in 2008, and has practiced as a Registered Nurse for the last 14 years in the areas of Cardiovascular ICU, Recovery Room, Emergency Room, Case Management, Marketing, and Outpatient Addiction Medicine . Kila enjoys traveling with her family, watching movies, and spending time outdoors. After enduring years of infertility, Kila finally became pregnant only to discover at 16 weeks that her daughter, Eva Katherine, would die shortly after her birth due to a very rare and fatal condition called Limb Body Wall Complex. Kila quickly realized she could either let this tragedy completely destroy her or she could use it for good. She then completed the training to become a Certified Birth & Bereavement Doula and started the Non-Profit Organization, I Will Carry You, along with her husband, Cesar, whom she states is her biggest supporter. Kila is fiercely passionate about serving mothers and families experiencing pregnancy and infant loss and she says she has peace knowing that she is able to honor Eva and use her past heartache for good. She considers it an absolute honor to take families by the hand and walk them through the loss of a child. Kila co-founded The Angel’s Gala with fellow loss mother, Maranda Salters, founder of the Zoey Renee Project, and is beyond thrilled and honored to watch it grow and bless the Northern Louisiana community year after year.
Maranda Salters
Co-Founder, Co-Host, Procurement Coordinator + Zoey’s Mom
Maranda is a 36-year-old mother to 3 living children; Keegan (8) and twins, Kelbie (7) and Shelbie (7). Zoey, the caboose of her family, is awaiting her in heaven. Maranda has been a nurse for 14 years now with a focus in geriatrics, addiction, and Long Term Acute Care. Maranda is originally from Bastrop, Louisiana, but currently calls Calhoun home. She spent 5 years living in Ohio where she made lots of memories and founded the Zoey Renee Project, along with Zoey's dad, Ty. The Zoey Renee Project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization was founded after Zoey, the caboose of the family, passed away at the tender age of 6 weeks due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). SIDS remains one of the leading causes of death in children under the age of one in the United States. The mission of the ZRP is to monitor one baby at a time by providing Owlet monitors to families. While they know the monitor cannot save a baby’s life, it can provide crucial moments to allow parents to be proactive instead of reactive. Maranda often states “the grief of infant loss is like the ocean waves, when a wave comes it reminds her that Zoey was real”. She likes to call them “waves from Heaven”. She knows Zoey's purpose was to come to help save other babies so their parents wouldn't have to walk this journey. Maranda co-founded the Angel’s Gala along with Kila Gonzales, founder of I Will Carry You, to continue to show parents they are not alone and to help break the stigma surrounding infant loss.
Shady Honaker
Co-Host, Media/Public Relations & Program Coordinator + Sam’s Mom
Shady Honaker is an east Texas native who now lives in West Monroe, Louisiana. She has been married to her husband Don since 2015 and has three children; Luke, Samuel (Sam) and Chandler. Shady graduated from ULM with her Bachelors of Science in Nursing and has six years of neonatal intensive care unit experience. She's spent 3 of those years working at Willis Knighton South caring for infants within a level III regional transport center NICU. Shady went back to school and graduated from Northwestern State with her Masters of Science in Nursing degree and her Women's Health Nurse Practitioner Certification. She is currently a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner practicing for The Louisiana Department of Health in regions 6/8 reproductive health program. She has a special love for infertility and pregnancy after loss and hopes one day to be able to practice within one of those settings. She enjoys spending time with her husband and children, watching Friends or The Big Bang Theory and working out at CrossFit West Ouachita. Sweet Samuel was stillborn January 27th of 2021 and Shady has since started a 501C3 Non-Profit Organization in his honor called Sam’s Love. Along with Sam’s Love, Shady also continues to be an active committee member of The Angel’s Gala to help other families walking through this journey of pregnancy & infant loss.
April Bagby
Guest Experience & Volunteer Coordinator + Joshua’s Mom
April was raised in Northeast Louisiana and currently calls West Monroe, Louisiana home. She has been happily married to her husband, Mike, since 2003, and they have four beautiful children: Justin (22), Kaitlyn (20), Jacob (18) and Rebekah (16). April enjoys helping others through her bookkeeping business, Bagby Business Solutions, and enjoys meeting local families through their rental business, Bagby Rental. Her favorite pasttimes include camping, kayaking, traveling and reading a good book, when time allows. Mike and April have a heart for pregnancy and infant loss after losing their son, Joshua, at 19 weeks gestation. They understand the pain of loss and the feeling of being left alone to mourn the loss of a child. They hope to provide comfort to others and give their families a voice for their children and an avenue for their stories to live on. April is grateful to be a part of The Angel’s Gala because she has seen firsthand how it has united families, brought comfort to an unthinkable situation, and removed the stigma of pregnancy and infant loss.