SJM_SouthernExposure_0320_SouthernExposure_11_08 3 / 3 / 20 3 : 06 PM Page 7 SouthernExposure PEOPLE As a child of domestic violence , Sarah Ripoli , the owner of Angel Energy clothing company , has created a name for herself . Angel Energy is not only a company that sells fashion - able T - shirts , sweatshirts and more , but is dedicated to helping spread domestic abuse awareness . “ I grew up in Medford , and we lived in a really nice place and everything was great from the outside , but I lived in a home with severe domestic violence , ” Ripoli says . “ I was an only child and the month before I turned 7 , my dad murdered my mom while I was in the house . ” After a completely life - altering event , Ripoli chose to rise above and help other women who could be victim to the same abuse her mom suf - fered . She grew up with her grandparents where she was able to become a cheerleader in high school , join a sorority in college and go on to graduate with a degree in public relations . But nobody truly knew her story . “ It was just something I didn’t want to be associated with because I never wanted people to judge me or look at me differently , ” she says . “ But I grew to realize that I needed to use this information to educate the world and educate women . ” After gaining popularity on social media , she decided it was time to take her platform to a new level by starting a fashion blog , finally letting the truth out about what had happened to her . “ The response I got was just so overwhelm - ing . So many women reached out to me that per - sonally felt the same way or knew of someone who this had happened to , ” she says . “ Domestic violence awareness is such a big part of my life because I lost my mom to it . Being able to help women , it’s really healing to me , to be honest . At this point there is nothing I can do to bring my mom back , and this whole company , it’s a way that I feel close to her by doing it . ” Coming in March , Angel Energy will be partnering with Miss New Jersey , Gina Mellish — who is running in Miss USA 2020 this summer — to connect their causes . Mellish works closely with the One Love Foun - dation to educate young men and women about ways to identify and avoid abusive rela - tionships . Together Ripoli and Mellish plan to launch a sweatshirt collection , where they will donate the proceeds to One Love . “ I just want this [ company ] to be a movement . I feel that so many other things get so much attention — mental health , breast cancer aware - ness — and domestic violence awareness is something that affects so many women and it’s not talked about the way it should be , ” Ripoli says . “ I hope to be able to make this brand into a movement that reaches a national level . ” SOUTH JERSEY MAGAZINE volume 16 issue 12 SouthJerseyMagazine.com 14 |