Carol Nylund, left, receives a President's Volunteer Service Award from Carol Hahn for her service to New Beginnings for Women & Children.

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Once you've had kids, the "rock" never goes away.

Now that Carol Nylund's babies are grown, she shares the rock with other people's children at the New Beginnings for Women & Children emergency shelter.

"You hold a baby and you start rocking; I think it is just being a parent," said Nylund, who volunteers with the organization's children's program every Thursday evening. While Nylund rocks, shelter residents attend classes in nutrition, language, education, financial management and other life skills.

Nylund was honored last week with a President's Volunteer Service Award for 20 years of volunteerism at the local nonprofit organization dedicated to helping homeless women and their children become financially stable and self-sufficient.

The program is designed around a three-year timeline in which clients move from an emergency shelter to transitional housing with subsidized rent and support services. The goal is to have residents gain skills, save money and improve earning ability before supporting their families in a market-rate environment.

Aftercare is offered for 18 months to clients who complete the program. New Beginnings serves more than 1,000 women and children annually.

"It gives people time enough to re-establish themselves; you can't get food stamps and basic support services to get back on your feet without an address," Nylund said.

The 90-day shelter, which is unusual in Tucson, offers mothers in crisis the opportunity to "catch their breath" and receive essential services such as food, clothing, housing, job training, transportation and health care for themselves and their children, according to Carol Hahn, development director for New Beginnings. Clients in the 13-family facility also receive planning and assistance from caseworkers.

Hahn said one of the keys to the program's success is the opportunity for community-building that begins during this initial 90-day period. It continues throughout the transitional housing phase, in which participation in community dinners is mandatory five nights per week.

"Many of these mothers may not know the joy that being part of a community can bring: Neighbors, friends, people who help one another out. They may never have experienced that, and we are trying to encourage it and show the benefits," she said.

Nylund brings empathy along with her willingness to calm crying babies. She was a recently divorced mother of a teen and a preteen when she began volunteering two decades ago. She said she felt fortunate at the time to have a good job and she was compelled to give back to women who were struggling to raise their children. She also believed in teaching her kids by example.

"Basically I think if you are fortunate enough to have food and a job and housing — and that is most of us in the United States — you should be helping people," she said. "If you can find something you enjoy doing where you are helpful, it is a good thing for you and your family, especially if those are the kind of values you want your kids to have."

Nylund, a software engineer for IBM, is still reaping the rewards of cuddling, rocking and walking young children.

"I have always liked being around kids," she said. "I loved having my own children, but instead of having a bunch of my own, I get to play with other people's. This gives me my 'baby fix.' "

Nylund's efforts are complemented by those of a core of 20 long-term volunteers, according to Hahn. She said need is currently skyrocketing: The emergency shelter has had a waiting list of 20 families since last fall.

"Monetary donations are way down all across the city and we anticipate a difficult year at least, but we are working very hard not to cut any services. ... We believe that everyone has the ability to make a change in their lives," Hahn said.