FINALIST Julie Cockroft Julie Cockroft remembers being pregnant at 19, unsure about the future. She feels fortunate that she had a loving support system, and that’s only grown as she’s been married to her husband, Jeff, for more than 40 years. Together they have eight children and 11 grandchildren, and it’s become their life’s work to support mothers-to- be in the community. Julie and Jeff were hired as directors just as ground was broken for Grace Home in 2014. The organization’s mission is to provide pregnant women ages 18 to 30 with housing, access to quality medical care, substance abuse recovery, as needed, and the education and skills to gain a living wage job. Two weeks after the home was finished in May 2015, it was leveled by a tornado. Grace Home was rebuilt and opened in October 2015, able to care for six pregnant women at a time. More recently, Julie and Jeff have also taken on the role of full-time house parents. “We function very much like a family,” said Julie. “For many of them, it’s their first time to be part of a structured, loving family.” About 90 percent of the women served by Grace Home are homeless. Most of the women are referred by the court system, OKDHS, churches or family members. They can stay up to one year after giving birth, and through the organization’s leveled program, they have the opportunity to transition out of survival mode and consider their hopes and dreams for the future. “They realize they are safe, they don’t have to worry about their next meal, there are people to help them get to their appointments and gain the tools they need,” said Julie. “They can slow their minds down, start planning ahead and build a future.” Julie recently spoke with a graduate who was able to reunify with and regain full custody of her children, who had been in foster care. She’s now pursuing a college degree. “This is a young lady who had lost all her children and had no dreams and no hopes when she arrived,” said Julie. “She is a different person now. I’m proud of seeing a young woman’s life changed, to where they see that they are loved, that the Lord loves them and they have a bright future.” Oftentimes, graduates fundraise and gather donations to bring back to the women at Grace Home, a visual assurance for Julie that they have “caught the vision” and realize their power to impact others in a positive way. “What we do is hard because you are becoming part of someone’s chaos or trauma — the mess of life — but it is an honor to be a piece of their journey,” said Julie. Julie relies heavily on her faith through both the challenging and upbeat times. She also makes sure to take time away from work with Jeff, her girlfriends or her family to recharge. A beautiful part of her work is that Grace Home graduates — and their
JULIE WITH GRACE HOME COLLIE, WILLOW. PHOTOS PROVIDED.
28 METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / MAY-JUNE 2022
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