“I can breathe easily when I have Katherine by me. It feels like freedom,” says Sarah Roberts, a 29-year-old single mother.

Sarah endured emotional and physical abuse in her teenage years. Today she has joint custody of her 9-year-old daughter Katherine who Sarah believes needs her maternal warmth. She protects her by teaching her how to protect herself. Sarah remodels houses in the Mountain Grove area. She manages her schedule to be available “for her every breath and every moment,” she said.