PHOENIX — Jocelyn Roe was 17 when she started working with mothers in need. She was a college student feeling unfulfilled in school and needed a job and a purpose.

She’d cradle babies while mothers took much-needed naps. She’d teach the women how to clean and practice basic hygiene. She’d help them enroll in benefits, create resumes and collect necessary documents, like birth certificates and Social Security cards.

As a teenager, she became someone they could lean on.

“I’ve been here through it all, but it’s definitely not just holding babies,” Roe said. “It’s helping them … and advocating for them at their doctor’s appointments, helping them know when to ask the right questions, identifying what they need, (how to) speak up for themselves, time management skills … like really building

See Full Page