“I had three kids in ‘72, ‘75, and ‘76. I had to raise them first before I went out and did anything else. When I became a mother, I knew I had to do my best to make sure they were well taken care of. They never had to look for somewhere to stay, I gave them a nice home. Having my kids and God allowing me to have them was the happiest moment of my life.

I never went anywhere and done too much. Times got hard when my husband and I got divorced. My kids were young and I had to work hard everyday to make sure they were straight. Every day, I had to get on the bus to take them to school and pick them up. I made sure they had their meals and all the homework was done. They had what all the other kids in the neighborhood had. As a single mother, I made sure that my children never lacked for anything.” - Linda, Shawnee