Meet Katrina
 Katrina Rolle was living in an abandoned apartment in Overtown with no food or water, alone to fend for herself after losing her job and much-needed income. "I started using drugs to escape the pain I was feeling in everyday life, trying to keep a roof over my family's head, put food on the table and the struggle to want a job but not be able to find one." Then came another challenge: she was homeless and pregnant. "I remember crying in the bathroom asking God to help me and that's when I found out that when I was pregnant with my son, Keyun. Then I found a purpose again to keep fighting and not to give up." Her pregnancy changed her life and made her get help. Through a referral from Lotus House, a resource center and residential facility serving homeless women and infants, Katrina was connected with the Center's Early Head Start Home-Based Program, where she received prenatal information, including pregnancy classes on the benefits of good nutrition, car seat safety, and more. The Program's major goal is to support parents in their role as their child's "primary teacher" in promoting their overall development and offering a safe environment in which to learn and grow. Katrina continues to grow as a new mother and is happier and healthier, no longer homeless, is drug free and serves as a mentor to other mothers facing similar circumstances.
"I want to succeed because of all the people that showed me that I am loved and gave me the strength to want to do better. I also want to make my son very proud that I was willing to give everything for him." | 
