On Tuesday, April 24th from 5:30-7:00 p.m. at the Sawyer Free Library a community collaborative; Grandparents Raising Grandchildren-Cape Ann is offering the presentation- Opening Doors, Opening Hearts to address the increasing number of grandparents/relatives caring for grandchildren. This presentation will provide valuable information to both families and professionals/educators working with affected families.
Colleen Pritoni, the MA Director of the Commission on the Status of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren will be one of the presenters and provides a wealth of knowledge on the topic. Additionally, Massachusetts author Deborah Doucette will share stories of families she connected with through leading support groups and working with the Massachusetts Department of Elder Affairs. Also, we will be providing local and state resources, information on our upcoming weekly support group, and other programming available to support families.
The community collaborative; Grandparents Raising Grandchildren- Cape Ann is a grassroots group of representatives from community organizations and members brought together through their participation in the advisory council of The Coordinated Family & Community Engagement (CFCE) grant funded through the MA Department of Early Education & Care and managed by Pathways for Children. At a fall meeting a local grandparent spoke on her own experiences and the challenges in finding helpful resources, support and information to guide her through the difficult situation of stepping into a parental role in her grandchild’s life. As often the case in Cape Ann, folks immediately volunteered to respond to the need and organized.
The event on 4/24 is the kick off to the community response! Beginning May 15th we will be offering a weekly support group at the Cape Ann YMCA (who is donating space & child care) which will meet on Monday evenings from 6-7 pm. The group is facilitated by licensed social worker Abbey Sheridan and community member, Daphne Congelosi. The Cape Ann Museum will be offering a monthly art program for grandparents and grandchildren and future plans are in the works for programs at the Rose Baker Center and with Backyard Growers. Additionally we are working toward developing materials for wide spread distribution to assist families on where to turn for information.
The following organizations are spearheading the efforts:
Pathways for Children
Sawyer Free Library
Cape Ann YMCA
Cape Ann Museum
SeniorCare
The Open Door
WIC
North Shore Mother Visiting Partnership
Healthy Gloucester Collaborative
Backyard Growers
The City of Gloucester- Council on Aging
Thank you for your assistance in promoting this program,
Amy
Amy Larsen, Coordinated Family & Community Grant Coordinator
Pathways for Children
29 Emerson Ave.
Gloucester, MA 01930
978 281-2400 x 5320
978 515-5320 fax 978 281-7053
From: GMcCarthy@gloucestertimes.com [mailto:GMcCarthy@gloucestertimes.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2018 3:09 PM
To: Amy Larsen
Subject: upcoming event
Hi Amy
I got your message. I have to run out but I will call you tomorrow for sure!
best
Gail
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