Carrie's Story

Carrie came to the Bronx Mother Child program because she wanted to. When she realized she was pregnant at age 17 and decided to keep the baby, she knew she would need a network of support to help her face the challenges of parenting a child alone. Because she was raised in the foster care system, Carrie was determined to provide her baby with the nourishment, support and stability that were denied to her. She arrived at the DeSales home full of expectations and goals and immediately went about setting herself on a path to success. She maintained high grades in school while working a job, lived as independently as possible, took numerous parenting classes, and set a respectful, dedicated example to the other girls in the program. At age 18 she was able to move into her own federally subsidized apartment, which she furnished with $5,000 she managed to save during her time in the Mother Child home. She is now enrolled in University classes in North Carolina where she lives with her healthy baby boy, but she visits often and still serves as a peer mentor, showing other girls in the program what can be achieved with a little perseverance and hard work.

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