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Greetings from the Chairman...
Happy New Year from the Grandparents Commission! Yes, we know the New Year will have its challenges. Hopefully they will be offset by the deep down satisfaction that comes from providing stability in the lives of the kids for whom you are caring. The Commission will continue its efforts to bring your issues to the attention of those who can be helpful.
May the New Year bring you comfort and satisfaction as you continue with your mission.
John Lepper _______________________________________________________________ Newsletter Contacts:
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Hyannis Support Group Holiday Trip...
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The Hyannis Grandparent Support Group took their grandchildren on a holiday trip. They rode the
Train to Christmas Town and had a blast!
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Family Resource Centers (FRC)
What can they provide for Grandparents?
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One of the most frustrating questions that Grandparent Commission members so often receive sounds something like this; "I'm lost. Now that I am caring for my grandchild, I realize that I need a lot of answers, to find help for the child, his parents, and myself. Who can help me? Where do I go?"
The good news is that Massachusetts has many resources to help families. The bad news is that the system can be complicated and services are not always easy to understand and connect with. In the last few years, a solution to this has begun to appear in the form of Family Resource Centers (FRC). Starting with pilot programs in four cities; Dorchester, New Bedford, Athol, and Worcester, these will soon become a statewide program. Early in 2015, FRC's will open in every county in the state (Follow the link to find the FRC that serves your community).
Follow this link for additional information on FRC's and a list of Centers currently serving local communities.
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We would like to know...
If you are a grandparent or relative raising your grandchildren/nieces/ nephews, then you are also involved in helping your grandfamilies to achieve academic success. There is a new and interesting partnership in Maryland called
Grandfamilies PTSA
(Parent Teacher Student Association)
that is a community-based affiliate of both the Maryland and National PTA's.
Please read the article at grandfamiliesptsa.org about this interesting collaborative effort and tell us what you think. Could you benefit from the support of such a program here in Massachusetts? We want to know what you think about this so we can set the wheels in motion for a similar partnership in Massachusetts!
Please email responses to:
contactus@massgrg.com
Summaries of responses will be shared in future newsletters as well as on the website at
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This is a publication of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (GRG), and its Information and Referral Committee. Along with its website, www.massgrg.com, its purpose is to reach out to the thousands of grandparents and other relatives who have taken on the challenge and responsibility to care for a relative child.
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