I had the very great pleasure of joining Mark Steiner of WYPR in Baltimore for his flagship public affairs program yesterday. The show should be available in his archive soon. We talked about grandfamilies – specifically grandparents raising grandchildren. 2.4 million children are being raised solely by their grandparents or other relatives. These grandparents are keeping families together and deserve our full support. Dr. Fred Strieder, who directs Baltimore's Family Connections, and two wonderful grandmothers from his program were featured on the show. They all did a terrific job of shedding light on the sacrifices grandparent caregivers make and the love they surround their grandchildren with. It was an honor to be on the show and a privilege to share the microphones with some wonderful partners.
While I was on my way to Baltimore, Jaia was speaking at a conference on subsidized guardianship and other help for grandparents raising grandchildren in Hartford, CT, co-sponsored by GU, AARP Connecticut and the Connecticut Commission on Children. The conference was incredibly well attended, and well organized by AARP Connecticut. This great preview in the Hartford Courant also meant that some extra relative caregivers showed up on the day to learn more and make those all important connections with others in similar situations.
Let us know if you are holding an intergenerational event, and I’ll mention it in our electronic newsletter or in this blog!
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