We Are Thankful!

By Jana Carson, GRANDcares Site Coordinator, Larimer County

As Thanksgiving approaches, we at the GRANDcares Project have a lot to be thankful for!  Many great things have been happening recently that we are excited to share with you!  Looking ahead, there are also many things to be grateful about as well.

Powerful Tools for Caregivers – Grandfamilies Classes

Two different cohorts, one in Larimer County and the other in Adams County, have wrapped up the last of their Powerful Tools for Caregivers – Grandfamilies sessions. These groups were fantastic! We really enjoyed getting to know each of the grandparents, helping them learn more self-care techniques, and connecting them to a variety of community resources!  We are especially thankful for Gail Engle, one of the Larimer County class co-leaders who is also a grandparent raising a grandchild! 

Recognized in the News!

Speaking of Gail Engel, she recently won the 7Everyday Hero award from Denver7 News for her work with Grand Family Coalition! Click here to view the video. She also won a Community Service Award from Group Publishing!  See her picture on their website here. Gail’s non-profit works to help grandparents in Northern Colorado connect with each other through support groups and grandfamily-friendly events.  She now has a support group for Spanish speakers as well. Gail also works to connect grandfamilies with resources in the community.  Her experience (both personally and professionally) with the system makes Grand Family Coalition an invaluable resource for grandfamilies.  For more information, visit the website at https://grandfamilycoalition.com/.

Gail was also recently featured in a Family Leaderships Training Institute (FLTI) of Colorado article (Click here to read the article) for her work with Larimer County Alliance for Grandparents (LCAG).  Dr. Christine Fruhauf, one of the Principal Investigators for the GRANDcares Project’s research was also featured in the article.

Upcoming Classes Planned

Larimer County has an upcoming Powerful Tools for Caregivers – Grandfamilies evening class planned for the Spring.  It will be held on Wednesdays, January 24^th – March 7^th from 5:00 – 7:00pm at Mountain View Presbyterian Church in Loveland. Dinner will be provided from 4:30 – 5:00pm, and childcare will be available while grandparents are in class.  To register, call Jana Carson at 970-491-8204 or email at jana.carson@colostate.edu.

Additionally, the Maui County site will be hosting a Managing Holiday Stress for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren workshop on December 7 from 10:00 - 11:00 am at Maui College and they are planning another mini-workshop on stress management for grandparents early next year in upcountry Makawao. You can register by emailing Christine Spencer at grandcaresmaui@gmail.com. 

We hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Positive Youth Development on the Big Island

In South Kona, on the Big Island, Powerful Tools for Caregivers- Grandfamilies, kicked off their first cohort in June 2017. Three grandmothers or “tutus” as we say in Hawai’i participated in GRANDcares program.  

Melony Tavares, a tutu from Big Island brought her three grandkids to one of the classes. During the classes for grandparents,  there are planned 4-H activity for the grandchildren. An aspiring elementary school teacher, Kili Kunitomo, supervised the activity. Kili’s planned activity for the grandchildren was to make slime. This slime consisted of glue, contact solution, baking soda, and food coloring.  

Making slime, is considered “messy play”, and messy play has many developmental benefits for children.  Children learn and develop through many types of play, but especially through unstructured and exploratory play. Through this kind of activity, children are able explore using their senses and engage their natural curiosity.  

When Melony joined the class the following week, she reported that her grandson went home at the end of the previous class beaming with excitement.  “He felt  proud of all the batches of slime he had made,” Melony said.  In the week to come, her nine year old grandson saved up all his allowance and bought all the materials to make the slime in bulk.  This included the ingredients and small containers, price tags, and labels. He put together individual slime containers, took them to school, and sold them to his friends. He made a profit and is one of GRANDcares youngest aspiring entrepreneurs! 

Melony’s fellow tutus who attended classes said they really enjoyed the class curriculum, while their grandkids enjoyed fun, supervised play! Mostly, they stated that they really enjoyed “getting to know each other”.  

A special thank you to the Greenwell Family Development Center for providing a beautiful setting for our grandfamilies and our program.  

By: Kylie Brown, Site Assistant, Maui Site 2, Big Island

By Christine Spencer, GRANDcares Site Coordinator, Maui County
      Jana Carson, GRANDcares Site Coordinator, Larimer County

We at the GRANDcares Project celebrate and cherish grandparents every day.  Officially, the United States recognizes them each year on September 10th for National Grandparent’s Day.  Last month, throughout the country, people called their grandparents, sent cards with kind words, and planned events in their honor. Our staff in both Colorado and Hawai’i were lucky enough to be able to attend some of the festivities.

In Colorado, the city of Fort Collins organized a wonderful event at the Senior Center for grandparents and their grandchildren.  The day included live music, fun games, family photos, face painting, a petting zoo, bingo, and a cereal buffet.  Additionally, Grand Family Coalition hosted their annual grandparent’s day celebration at Boyd Lake State Park, attracting many grandparents raising their grandchildren.  Grandfamilies enjoyed spending the afternoon together eating, conversing, playing, and relaxing with each other.

In Hawai’i, GRANDcares launched National Grandparents Day with a private movie screening for grandparents raising their grandchildren on Maui.  Maui Mall and Regal Cinemas hosted the morning event in honor of all the hard work grandparents do for their families.  Later that day, grandfamilies were invited to a free and fun gamenight at the Maui College campus. There was a sea of children who played games while the grandparents “talked story.”  Information on upcoming events and workshops for grandfamilies in Hawai’i can be found on the “GrandcaresHawaii” Facebook page. 

Although it is only once a year that we come together to recognize grandparents, they are heroes every day. More and more families are turning to grandparents for support and love.  From Grandparents in Colorado to Tutu’s in Maui, all across the country, grandfamilies are an important part of our communities. 

A GRANDPARENTS “STAY-CATION” GUIDE FOR WHEN THE KIDS GO BACK TO SCHOOL

                                        (Above: Maui County GRANDcares program participants Photo:Christine Spencer)

             
The countdown for the start of school this year has begun. For grandparents this is an incredibly busy time of year.  Registering for classes, filling out paperwork, hunting for school supplies, on top of managing the day to day tasks of parenting - it can be overwhelming! If this is you, there probably hasn’t been much time to even think about what you are going to do when the kids are away at school all day. 

The beginning of the new school year is a great opportunity for a start fresh. It can be a time to focus on activities that improve your health and reduce your stress. 

Set aside some “vacation time” for yourself - the destination is your door step. Start your “stay-cation” by asking yourself a few questions such as:

What is it that I love to do but haven’t been doing lately?

When was the last time I spent time with a friend?

Where is my daily physical pain, and how can I decrease that pain?

Taking care of your mental and physical health is just as important as taking care of your grandchildren.  After the grandchildren are dropped off at school, the first few weeks may seem to pass quickly.  There are plenty of things to do around the house, to clean and organize, and to catch up from the busy summer.

But make sure you find time for relaxation.  It can be valuable to have a day with a bit of peace and quiet.  Take some time to be reflective. Go for a long walk. Take some time to re-connect with yourself and friends. Planning a “stay-cation” for yourself where you relax at home without getting caught up in housework tasks is a simple way to start planning time for yourself and your mental health. Spend time doing activities you enjoy doing at home, such as gardening or reading a book.

Feeling left out?

If you aren’t at work when the kids go to school, sometimes it can get a little lonely when the house is empty.  Don’t worry- you are not alone.  A great way to get physically active is to join free exercise related activities in the community. This will improve physical health and help build social networks.  Check out this link to find out more about fun, safe and inexpensive activities to enjoy this fall in Maui: http://www.mauinews.com/news/community-news/2017/07/fun-safe-and-inexpensive-activities-to-enjoy-with-grandchildren/

For our grandfamilies in Colorado, follow this link and download a full list of activities in Larimer County: https://www.fcgov.com/recreator/.

Aside from increasing your physical activity, there are other ways to feel more involved for instance, joining a “mommy” or parenting group.  Many “mommy” groups are open to parents and caregivers of all types, including grandparents. You can easily join the GRANDcares Hawaii Facebook Page or the Maui Mommies Group to get started.  For Larimer County, you can check out the Early Childhood Council of Larimer County Facebook page or subscribe to their listserve to receive messages about upcoming parenting classes.  These are free resources, that promote family-friendly networking and activities. Additionally, you can find out more information on helpful resources for grandfamilies on our website http://grandcares.colostate.edu/resources/.

Sending the kids back to school, is the perfect time to kick-start the healthy habits that will help you feel stronger and sharper year-round.  It’s the easiest time of year to become your best self.

For more information contact: 

Christine Spencer, GRANDCares Site Coordinator, Maui County

grandcaresmaui@gmail.com

A Great Start!

By Gloria Sanchez, GRANDcares Site Coordinator, Adams County

Recently established in the Denver North Metro Area, Adams County is the home of the  GRANDcares Project’s second Colorado site.  We are really excited about bringing the  Powerful Tools for Caregivers - Grandfamilies class and other resources to our grandparent community.   Our goal is to provide the class and training to as many grandfamilies as possible, and we were able to start our first Powerful Tools for Caregivers - Grandfamilies class on April 5th, 2017!

In order to plan this first class, we worked closely with various community agencies and organizations involved in kinship care throughout the community.  The support that we found from other kinship organizations was amazing!  They helped with everything from providing space, to referrals, to allowing us to visit their kinship groups, and in the end, we were able to recruit grandparents from different parts of the county and the surrounding cities!  

Our first cohort met every Wednesday morning for 6 weeks, and it was a remarkably engaging and delightful group.  Together we talked about the many challenges that grandparents  face when they become the primary caretakers of their grandchildren..  For example, often times, grandparents find themselves on an emotional rollercoaster, unable to identify how they really feel, or they find that making important decisions and having difficult conversations can be very stressful.  Taking on new and different roles and responsibilities can also quickly become burdensome, and overwhelming.  This can all easily lead to losing sight of oneself and not communicating one’s feelings and needs, hence burning out.

During our 6 weeks together, we also learned various stress-management tools, emphasizing and practicing the importance of taking care of us.  We were optimistic when we expressed and learned from our emotions, set goals and put our Action Plans into effect, and utilized our effective communication strategies.   My co-facilitator, Ana Bustillos and myself were very blessed with the commitment, dedication, willingness, interaction, and responsiveness of the participants of the first Adams County Cohort.  We are very satisfied with the outcome of this first cohort and eager to start registration for the Fall groups and those that will follow.  

All in all, we are off to a great start!

Larimer County Summer Resources for Grandfamilies

By Jana Carson, GRANDcares Site Coordinator, Larimer County

The GRANDcares Project is working to update and increase the amount of resources that we have to offer grandparents raising grandchildren.  During this process, we at the Larimer County office have discovered a few great resources for grandparents to utilize, especially over the summer when grandchildren are out of school.  Some of the following programs are ongoing while others are specific events.  Some of the programs geared towards grandfamilies while others are open to children from all family situations.  We hope that this list will be helpful for grandfamilies, providing fun for grandchildren and respite for grandparents.  Feel free to contact us if you have any questions!

Fundango through Kids at Heart
This program provides low-cost respite care for foster, kinship, and adoptive families.  They host regular three-hour events where children can go play games, make crafts, and have fun.  They also provide a camp once a year.  For more information, go to their website at www.kidsatheartfundango.org

Nature Rides with the Growing Project and Kids at Heart
Three free events for children 7-13 years old.  Children bike along the Poudre River and learn about the natural areas in Fort Collins.  (Particiants can bring their own bike or use one of the bikes provided.)You can register here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080949aba82fa2ff2-nature

Colorado Respite Coalition
This organization provides vouchers for families (including grandfamilies) to use for respite services.  Currently in Larimer County, the voucher is accepted at Respite Inc. which provides respite for grandchildren with disabilities.  Go here to fill out an application: http://coloradorespitecoalition.org/resources/family/respite-vouchers.php

Laramie River Valley Rendezvous
This organization offers a free, week-long camp for at-risk youth ages 13 – 16 years old. During the week, youth participate in hiking, biking, horseback riding, and white water rafting.  Afterwards, the youth participate in a 10-week mentoring program which emphasized community involvement through service, academic achievement, and life skills training. The camp takes place from July 10 – 15, so head to the website ASAP to sign up: www.LRVR.org

Salvation Army Wilderness Camp
This is a free camp for anyone ages 13 to 15.  The camp runs from July 24 – 29 and still has openings.  If you are interested, email Lilia at lilia.fernandes@usw.salvationarmy.org with the name and age of your grandchild and a number to reach you.

Little People's Landing (locations in Loveland and Fort Collins)
They provide fun, themed Parent's Night Out events on different Saturdays during the month from 5:00pm to Midnight. Grandparents must register their grandchildren ahead of time. Contact Jana at jana.carson@colostate.edu for a coupon to try this resource for free.  Go to the website for more information: https://kidslovelpl.com/pno.html

BASE Camp
This organization provides full or part day childcare over the summer and during the school year.  They offer reduced fees and scholarships, and you only pay for the days you use.  Go to http://www.mybasecampkids.org/ for more information.

KidsTown
This center provides drop-in child care for $7 - $10/hour.  Contact Jana (jana.carson@colostate.edu) for a coupon good for one free hour.

GRANDcares teams participate in the CYFAR Professional Development Workshop

Last month, GRANDcares team members from Colorado State University and the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, participated in CYFAR’s Professional Development Workshop. The GRANDcares project would not be possible without the generous support from a grant from CYFAR-SCP (Children Youth and Families At Risk- Sustainable Community Projects.) GRANDcares project is a proud recipient of a CYFAR grant that will allow our programming to reach families through 2019 in both Colorado and Hawai’i states.

The CYFAR-SCP grant is on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)- National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).  This year, CYFAR commenced twenty-five years of work and community service, with programming that now reaches over 600 communities. CYFAR grants span over 47 states in the United States, with the singular goal of having a lasting impact on the children, youth, families and communities they serve.

CYFAR’s Professional Development Workshop 2017, offered a multi-disciplinary blend of workshops, speakers and presentations; focused on maximizing the success of CYFAR programs at large. GRANDcares team members were involved in a collection of classes with topics that ranged from; building community partnerships to implement evidence-based prevention programs, communication strategies for increasing program participation and best practices for collection, assessment and evaluation of program data.    

We would like to take this moment to extend our heartfelt thank you, to the people who make CYFAR-SCP funding possible for GRANDcares program and the families we serve.

                       Above: GRANDcares Team Members at CYFAR Professional Development Workshop 2017