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The Grandfamily Support Group is an essential lifeline for grandparents who find themselves as the primary caregivers for their grandchildren or kin. Partnering with CANGRANDS, a national kinship support network started by Betty Cornelius, the group provides a compassionate environment where grandparents can share their experiences, challenges, and victories, while learning from others in similar situations. Understanding that no grandparent should have to navigate this journey alone, the Grandfamily Support Group fosters a sense of community and offers practical resources for those stepping into the role of parenting their grandchildren. A central principle of this group is the power of shared experience and mutual support.
Whether dealing with the trials of raising young children again, negotiating with social services, or simply managing the emotional toll of their circumstances, grandparents can find solace, encouragement, and practical advice within this group. Regular meetings and special events like the "Gratitude for Grands" Christmas Dinner and the "Picnic in the Park" provide opportunities for connection and celebration. Through these shared moments, grandparents can experience a sense of belonging and understanding that can significantly alleviate the challenges they face.
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)Over 30 grands and kin attended our “Gratitude for Grands” Christmas Dinner. It was a time of blessing and joy for those in attendance. One grand mentioned it was the only Christmas event they were going to have.
In Sept. 2017, I moved to Saskatoon and set up a CANGRANDS chapter for kinship and grandparents raising grandchildren. I had a fall in March and was struggling with doing this local group as well as the online national support work. Then, Lorraine Fajt called me. She is raising her two grandchildren and was looking to set up a support group through RR. We chatted, then met up and have been supporting those who will show up for monthly meetings under the name of Grand family Support. The “Gratitude for Grands” Christmas Dinner and a “Picnic in the Park" are just a few of the events we’ve hosted. We have more upcoming events planned to include International Grandparent’s Day. As the founder of CANGRANDS, a National Kinship support for the past 25 years, this is a work close and dear to my heart.
We have kept connecting with Darryl and Jodi sporadically over the last decade through the busyness and trials of life. One spring, we happened to meet in front of Jodi’s house when she was picking up her mail. I had come from the Briarwood Park with my two grandchildren looking for a place to turn around to go back home and ended up on her street. We truly believe that was a divine appointment arranged by God Almighty, because of what had transpired in the previous year.As we quickly tried to catch up on each other’s lives, we discovered we now had more in common than ever. I had recently become the primary caregiver for my two preschool grandchildren, and Jodi had previously been in the kith role, which is a non-relative caring for someone else’s children. We both strongly felt that there was a need in our city and beyond for a support group and resource centre to help grandparents and other kin parent again, in whatever circumstance.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 and 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.
I received much encouragement from Betty and online correspondence with other folks on CANGRANDS prior to co-founding GIFT in 2001 when my grand was three. GIFT was a support for “Grandparents Involved Full Time” in raising their children’s children. It provided emotional support in the form of regular meetings at several public facilities as a way of encouraging people of all faiths, spiritualities and origins.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.
