Eighteen-year-old Angelica Rodriguez was not supposed have this life. Pregnant at 13 with little support and even fewer opportunities, Angelica joined the YWCA of Metropolitan Dallas’ Nurse-Family Partnership – a program that pairs a licensed nurse with a teen mom for 60 home visits over two years.
“Holly taught me everything – like what was happening with my body, that I should read to my son every day to help him build his vocabulary and how to keep control of tense situations with my family,” said Rodriguez, who fast-tracked high school and graduated with her Associate in Science. Now she is pursuing a nursing degree at the University of Texas at Arlington. Rodriguez’s son, Sebastian, is also a star student – already reading in both English and Spanish at only 5 years old.
According to Jennifer Ware, CEO of the YWCA of Metropolitan Dallas, currently 286,000 women and girls live in poverty in Dallas County, and that number is expected to increase by another 100,000 by 2020. Programs such as these address poverty where it starts – in the family. ywcadallas.org
This month, we are pleased to shine the light on many of the servant leaders making our community better and stronger. And we do this not just also to thank them, but to inspire others to roll up their sleeves and help in some way. To learn more about #LiveToGiveThisHoliday, click here.
President and CEO Robbie Briggs independently owns and operates Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty with seven offices in Dallas, Fort Worth, Uptown, Lakewood, Ranch and Land, The Ballpark and Southlake.
