Founders
Jose and Julie Moreno
Jose and Julie are the cofounders of Casa De Vida. In March 2005, Jose and his wife Julie founded Casa De Vida to help individuals and their families overcome the problems of chemical dependence.
Jose was a heroin addict for about 35 years. He was introduced to drugs and gangs at age 14 and was incarcerated for the first time at 15, in 1997. Jose turned his life over to Christ and the transformation has led him to receive a certificate in Addictive Disorders Studies at Oxnard College. Throughout the years, he successfully helped many individuals overcome their struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction. Jose passed away in 2018 due to illness.
Julie is a retired elementary school teacher with a master’s degree in Education and taught for 34 years. She is a Certified Addiction Treatment Counselor and serves as the CEO of Casa De Vida.
Current Board of Directors
Two of George’s biggest blessings are his daughters, Esmi (age 17) and Anavaeh (age 12). George is a single father, doing an excellent job raising his two daughters to be respectable Godly young women.
Besides fulfilling his responsibilities as a single Dad, he is happy to say he serves as a Casa de Vida (CDV) Board Chair. George also graciously serves at Ventura Missionary Church (VMC) where he and his daughters have attended since 2011. He started serving as an usher, and with his passion to minister to youth he became a youth group leader, along with these accomplishments he is also a VMC member and a Deacon at VMC.
There have been some life-changing moments for him, and he owes it all to God first and foremost, and secondly to CDV. He had made some bad choices during his younger years, which led him on the wrong path in life. After hitting rock bottom, he found CDV and there he found God. His life changed drastically, he surrendered his life to Jesus, and from there on he was a changed man. He was now on the right path in life, walking with God, and he continues to trust, love, and have faith, 11 years later!
George recently took a leap of faith and decided to go back to school full-time. He is now enrolled at Ventura Community College majoring in Psychology. He hopes to transfer to a university in 2023 to continue his education and receive his BS in Psychology in hopes of using his degree to give back to help those in need. He hopes to gear his work towards those struggling with substance dependency, family issues, and behavior problems.
Michelle Ming’s parents divorced when she was 12 years old. She went to live with her father and was often responsible for the care of her siblings. At 15, she began drinking. Soon she was married to a heroin addict, and it wasn’t long before she tried the drug herself and fell into addiction. What followed was years spent in and out of jail. As a result, she was forced to allow her mom and stepdad to raise her son.
In 2010, Michelle was facing an eight-year prison term, but she was mercifully given the option to enter a program instead. It was then that she ran into Jose Moreno of Casa De Vida Recovery Program. She asked him if he would accept her into this faith-based ministry so that she could avoid prison. Michelle entered Casa De Vida (which means “House of Life”); they brought her to Ventura Missionary Church, and things have never been the same since. Her dad had tried to get her to go to church over the years, and once in a while she would go, but this time Michelle says, “I was ready!”
Today Michelle’s life has come full circle. She lives with her dad, her son, and her 8- and 12-year-old grandkids. She didn’t get to raise her son, but through God’s goodness, she is now helping to raise her grandchildren. She also has a successful business as a “handywoman.” Michelle says, “Before when I would get angry, I would turn to drugs. Now, when I get angry, I talk to God.” When we are ready, God has an amazing way of restoring us. Sometimes He even gives us back some of the things that we lost. Michelle overflows with the love of Jesus because of what He has done for her…and she is eager to share that love. She says, “When I think of how things are now, it takes my breath away!” Michelle now serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Casa De Vida.
Cindy moved to Ventura County in 1990 with the single-minded purpose of overcoming her addiction to alcohol. She has maintained her sobriety since that time and credits the staff of Miracle Recovery Centers for her own recovery. She served as a staff member of MRC in 1991-1992 and joined their Board of Directors in 1993, where she served for 12 years.
Cindy has been involved with Casa De Vida since its inception, both as a Board Member and donor. She currently serves as Board Secretary. Additionally, Cindy fills the role of administrative assistant at Finding Something More, a non-profit, Christian-based organization for women in Orange County.
Professionally, Cindy’s career has taken her from Wall Street to the legal, insurance, and pharmaceutical industries. Retiring from Amgen in 2017, where she worked as Senior Executive Assistant in Translational Sciences, she now pursues her love of travel, gardening, and reading.
She will tell you that her life is blessed, that she was saved by the grace of God and the love of Jesus, and that her faith and sobriety are the basis of everything that is good in her life: a loving, close-knit family with two amazing sons and two beautiful granddaughters, two talented and fun-loving sisters, many wonderful nieces, nephews and cousins, a cherished aunt, as well as treasured friends.
Angela Pelton – Director
Angela was raised in Santa Paula, where she currently resides. She’s a single mother of 2 adult men and 1 preteen girl. Being a mom is Angela’s greatest blessing in life. She sacrificed her education to be the best mom she could be because nobody could be a better mom to her kids than her. She enjoyed every
moment of watching her kids grow, helping in her kids’ classrooms, going on every field trip, and being a football, baseball, basketball, soccer, wrestling, band, and Girl
Scout mom. She has served on a couple of boards for Balboa and Buena music programs because she believed in the power of music education and wanted to be involved with what her son loved.
She enjoys volunteering her time and helping others in need. Many people have acknowledged Angela’s efforts to always help and be involved with a smile on her face but never knew Angela had a price to pay to be able to do what she loved. At home, she was being physically, mentally, and emotionally abused by her daughter’s father who is an alcoholic. She kept telling herself that she could help him while it was only killing her. She depended on him to financially take care of her and her kids. He had her right where he wanted her to be so he could have control over Angela’s life. She felt trapped and incapable of not being able to make her own decisions to live a better life. She lived in fear and heartache every day for 10+ years. She didn’t realize the trauma it caused her
kids to see her struggles until her sons started becoming men and wanted to help protect her.
Angela decided to make a change in her life during Covid in 2020. She wanted her kids to be proud of her for not giving up and continuing her education goals. She graduated from Ventura College with high honors, one month before her oldest son’s high school graduation. She prays that her sons have learned who
they don’t want to be as a man and that her daughter learns that not all men are the same. She reminds her children to always be the best version of themselves and to never depend on anyone to take care of them because it could leave them in a bad situation that will be hard to get out of.
Angela works at Ventura College, helping students while she works on her 3rd degree in Studio Arts. She has also started her own business with her best friend doing graphic design for Prime9designs.com. While working at Ventura College, she met George Casarez(Chair) and learned about Casa De Vida. George
inspired her to help make a difference in the program with his heartfelt success story. Casa De Vida touched her heart when she learned about the many men and families that the program has helped. Angela can only wish that her father who struggled with alcohol and drug addiction and her daughter’s father had a
place like this to get the help they needed. Some people don’t want to make a change or don’t have the strength to do it. Casa De Vida gives men the tools to change their lives and that is beautiful to her. She believes that everyone is worthy and capable of change and your past doesn’t define you. She has taken
the role of Director to help the public learn more about Casa De Vida and assistwith fundraising to keep this amazing program going.
Former Board Members
