From the Founder and Director

Dear Friends,

Raising a child today is not an easy task. In fact, for young parents, it is a very daunting responsibility. Now, imagine for a moment, how unbearably tough it must be for many grandparents who now have to take up the responsibility of raising their grandchildren.

Many grandparents have worked hard as parents, themselves, to raise their children and give them a foundation for a good future. Many expected to retire and go vacationing in Hawaii, the Bahamas or Tahiti. Some expect to pack up their bags and move to Florida to enjoy the rest of their lives in the sunny tropical region of the Country. But that was not to happen. They now have to take up a different challenge – that of raising their children’s children. Grandparents are raising grandchildren because of parent’s substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, death, child abuse, divorce, parental unemployment, child-neglect or abandonment, incarceration, AIDS, etc.

In the state of Colorado alone, there are about 75,000 grandparents raising their grandchildren, who otherwise would still be in the “limbo” of the system’s foster placement. There are about 23,000 to 25,000 in the Denver Metro area. Many of them have had to go through tough legal battles to get custody of their grandchildren.

This year, the GRC, with the help of God, has worked with many grandparents to gain custody of their grandchildren, who now enjoy the blessing of being raised, by their grandparents. The joy of seeing children united with their families is itself a reward that the Grandparents Resource Center takes pride in. I often say, “when we help bring a child home to its family it is like winning the lottery.”

Increasingly, grandparents are seeking our services, and even though we are not financially equipped, our staff and volunteers work hard to respond to the needs of our grandparents and their children.

We continue our efforts in the spirit of encouragement and hope to strive to serve the grandparents and the children in their care. God has continuously blessed us, and that gives us the strength to carry on. We, indeed, feel blessed that we can render our services to those in need, and we also say a big “thank you” to those who generously give to us.

God Bless you all!

Yours Truly,

Shirley M. Berens

Founder & Director