Grandfamily Support Group

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Volunteer Testimonials

We became aware of the desire to come alongside grandparents who are raising their grandchildren, and the many challenges this presents. We were able to connect a grandmother from BC to receiving some of this support via Skype meetings, as well connecting a grandmother we know in the city to some resources. She’s been greatly encouraged by the support she has received.

We believe one of the areas of gifting Jodi has is visionary; to be able to see areas of great need, and to pray in and motivate the needed people to give themselves to meet these needs. Lives are being changed, and the potential to bring changes to our city’s needy and vulnerable is unlimited. I believe that together we can partner to see the glory of God revealed in our city as the scripture says: “The Earth will be fulfilled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea”. And we say, continue to do it Lord! (Habakkuk 2:14, and Isaiah 11:9)

In the lengthy process of developing a local support group, we connected with Betty Cornelius, founder of CANGRANDS National Kinship Support, who had just moved to Saskatoon from Ontario. We valued her expertise and experience of 24 years as a grandparent raising a grandchild, setting up support groups across Canada, and writing bills for Parliament to give grandparents rights in Ontario. She, in turn, had been searching and connecting with like-minded individuals to help carry on her mission in Saskatoon. We all agreed this was another God-orchestrated meeting.

To date, the three of us have joined forces under the umbrella of LifeChange & RR, to form the Grandfamily Support Group, which holds monthly meetings for the caregivers and coordinates a monthly social event for all the grandfamilies. We pray for continued strength, commitment, and wisdom for all who find themselves in  situations that warrant seeking out and attending such a group as this. We will journey together.

Exchanges of clothing, books and toys, as well as regular fun time outings get with the children allowed them to know that they were not alone in this unique family structure. Adults gained knowledge and comfort learning that the system, society and their children’s choices, not their own failures had led to this second time around of parenting. Unfortunately, as the years passed, many of us found our own aging lives, and caring for aged parents as well as the grandchildren, did not allow energy and time to devote to the planning and running of the group.

Statistically, the 2890 + children under 14 years (and there are considerably more raised to 18+, not included in Stats Can 2016) account for most of the 3-6% of children in Sask. who live without their parents. 42% of skipped generation children are raised by only one grandparent. 60% of these households are below the low-income level. In Canada as a whole, 100,500 children aged 0-17 years are in homes whose income is below the poverty line. Low income, aging bodies, children with many emotional and physical challenges cause grandfamilies much stress. However, many of us continue to find strength, sanity and support from Betty Cornelius’s online CANGRANDS for kin carers and denied grandparents and, if we are lucky, a local group to share our cares. My grand and I had the privilege of attending a CANGRANDS summer camp with skilled lecturers. I would like to see something like that happening in SK. I give credit to the support of Grandparent organizations, like RR’s Grandfamily Support, in providing valuable awareness and understandings, enabling the raising of my granddaughter, for her 21 years, to a vibrant, confident, and independent young woman. Mine is only one of many hard-earned success stories.

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Grandfamily Support Group in the Media