At that time, Rose had planned to support herself and Carrie by getting a job. Bobby had set up his estate in a trust with all of the income going to Rose in monthly payments. Rose couldn't disband the trust, but she was determined that every dime it generated would go to the new shelter. She was going to work for a living, like the rest of the world. That was what she told Father Xavier. Later on, after she'd become an icon, he'd repeated this conversation to the adoring press. The story added greatly to her luster, even though she had never actually followed through on the getting-a-gig part.

The problem was, Rose had never earned a dime, and she hadn't gone to college. And since she refused to trade on Bobby's old connections—or her mother's—her options were somewhat limited. But, as Rose told Father Xavier, there were thousands of women in her predicament, and she wasn't any better than the rest of them.

While she was still trying to find her fantasy job she began volunteering at the shelter, and the staff quickly realized what an amazing resource she was. No task was too difficult for Rose. With her little daughter at her side, she served meals, read bedtime stories, and wiped away tears—childish and adult. When Carrie and Rose picked up head lice at the shelter, they stood in the shampoo line with the residents and Rose cracked jokes. She shamed high-end restaurants and grocery stores into donating their leftovers to the shelter kitchen, and she bullied a local cop precinct into coaching a baseball team for the shelter kids. She could also unclog the tricky toilet on the third floor. Throughout it all, she smiled radiantly, and when Father Xavier asked her once if she really wanted to expose little Carrie to so much sadness, Rose answered with total sincerity, “I couldn't give her a bigger gift, Father. She's learning about the joy of giving now, while she's young. I wish someone had done that for me. I had to wait so many years to discover it.”

It was clear to everyone that Rose had found her calling, but she was still stubbornly insisting on earning her living. Father Xavier drew her aside and gave her a lecture on the sin of pride, reminding her that God has a plan for all of us and he was willing to bet that plan did not include Rose's working as a salesperson or a restaurant hostess when she was doing so much good with her volunteer service. The priest then quoted rather heavily from Mother Teresa and St. Francis.