Grandparents Raising Grandchildren of Brevard County Fall 2019 Newsletter

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren of Brevard County, FL Inc. Fall 2019

Mary Ann in Tallahassee Secretary Chad Poppell is dedicated to ensuring that families have the highest quality of services available in their times of need and so is Mary Ann Sterling.

Mid-October Mary Ann traveled to meet with Secretary Poppell to discuss relative caregiver families and their needs.

Note from Mary Ann This has been the most wonderful period for GRG since it was started 25 years ago. We have received more donations and recognition than ever hoped for. We had four newspaper articles and donations from sources that we didn’t know existed.

On October 7th I met with DCF Secretary Poppell in Tallahassee and we discussed the following issues: • Recognition for Relative Placement • DCF’s practice of using a Safety Plan • DCF’s definition of abandonment • Possible subcontract with DCF • He requested possible assistance from GRG of Brevard to help start other groups within Florida He was very attentive and met with me for 1-1/2 hours. DCF is sending me to the DCF Summit in Orlando in December and he said he will meet with me there.

Thank all of you for your wonderful support and the outstanding jobs you are doing by giving your grandchildren a safe and stable environment.

Hope to see more of you at the support group meetings.

ATTENTION MEMBERS: If you are an active member of GRG of Brevard and would like to attend the upcoming 25th Anniversary Gala we have set aside tickets at a reduced price just for you, please contact the office 321-631-7776 by Friday, Nov 8th. You can also purchase online at www.GRG-Brevard.org select Member Ticket.

Mary Ann Sterling Executive Director 1

Support Group Meetings st

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Friday, Nov 1 and Dec 6 – North Brevard Indian River City United Methodist Church, 1355 Cheney Hwy. Titusville 9:30–11:00 am (This meeting is always the first Friday of each month) Thursday, Nov 14th and Dec 12th – Club Esteem Club Esteem 3316 Monroe Street, Melbourne 10:00 – 11:30 am (This meeting is always the second Thursday of each month) Tuesday, Nov 19th and Dec 17th – Central Brevard GRG of Brevard Office, 123 Barton Blvd, Rockledge 9:30 -11 am (This meeting is always the third Tuesday of each month) Wednesday, Nov 20th and Dec 18th – South Brevard Angels for Kids, 1071 Port Malabar Blvd Suite105-106 Palm Bay 6:00–7:30pm (This meeting is always the third Wednesday of each month) Thursday, Nov 21st and Dec 19th – Melbourne Beach Memaw’s Restaurant, Indian Harbour Beach, 9:30–11:30 am (Breakfast is available at member's expense) (Due to holidays – these meetings will be the third Thursday for Nov / Dec) In an attempt to cut cost of mailing and publishing our newsletter it is now only QUARTERLY. If you are unable to attend support group meetings to receive timely information, please visit our website www.grg-brevard.org or call the office at 321-631-7776 to keep current.

We have two (2) passes for Brevard Zoo; admission for two grandparents and up to six grandchildren. The criteria for obtaining these passes are as follows: • • •

Legal Assistance If you have received a legal consultation through our office with Culmer and Davidson please let us hear from you. We are required to keep records on the results of your visit which enables GRG of Brevard to receive grants for legal assistance.

Please call 321-631-7776.

Shining Stars Needed If your grandchild has received an award, was adopted or did something awesome please let us know so we can feature our shining stars in the newsletter.

Honor Roll Students If you grandchildren received an A-B report card they will receive a $25.00 gift card to Walmart for that accomplishment. Please bring their report cards to the office or a support group meeting.

Limited to 2 gift cards per year/per child.

Holiday Assistance If you are in need of Christmas Gift Assistance, please call the GRG of Brevard office 321-6317776 or sign up at support group meetings.

If you need meal assistance for Thanksgiving, please contact the office or signup at support group meetings.

To receive assistance for you are required to be a member and attend at least 2 events throughout the year. If you are unable to meet the requirements you will go on a waiting list.

Those families registered will receive a pick-up date for the distribution in late December.

Must come to office to sign up for pass Pass cannot be out of office for over two (2) weeks Cannot be copied for use

When returning pass please call office (321-631-7776) prior to coming up to Rockledge as we are often out at meetings or events.

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If you are interested in volunteering for the Children’s Holiday Party “Breakfast with Santa” please contact Lou Ann at 321-795-6260 or email grg.brevard@gmail.com

We would like to thank the following organizations for their contributions to GRG of Brevard!

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Tutoring Available GRG has teamed with Tutor Doctor of Brevard County to provide services to our grandchildren. Tutor Doctor is an approved vendor for Step Up For Students – The Gardiner Scholarship The Gardiner Scholarship allows parents to personalize the education of their children with unique abilities by directing money toward a combination of programs and approved providers. https://www.stepupforstudents.org/for-schoolsproviders/how-the-plsa-scholarship-works/ If you have any questions or need help, please contact GRG Office 321-631-7776.

Renew Your GRG Membership!

Don't miss out! Join GRG of Brevard for important support and events focused on informing and improving the lives of relative care families in Brevard County GRG of Brevard provides programs and services to meet the urgent and ongoing needs of grandparents and other relative caregivers raising children at risk.

T.A.R.G.E.T. TRAINING

COMING IN SPRING 2020!

Last year’s TARGET training conference was a great success; with over 60 caregivers’ in attendance.

For those new to GRG of Brevard TARGET is a sixweek training course that covers the latest information from community and state experts on topics ranging from financial stability and legal assistance to parenting autistic children.

Who can attend? Relative caregivers, community organizations and child advocates.

• Reasons to Attend: • Have Fun, Relax, Recharge • Get Connected • Learn to Honor Your Caregiver Role • Experience Self-Acceptance & Self Care • Explore New Innovations in Parenting

Holiday Memories

Holidays can be filled with wonder and stress. When you are both grandparent and parent to your grandkids, you have a unique opportunity to build precious memories and help the children develop practical life skills.

Think of family traditions as gifts that produce the warm feelings of security, love, caring, fun and acceptance. Children of all ages will remember and be nurtured by these for years to come. Family traditions that you had when you were just a grandparent may need to give way to new traditions due to the changes in your family situation. This may not be as hard as it sounds. If you had a close relationship with your grandchild in the past, you can draw from past experience and think of the kinds of activities that best fit into your new situation.

Building new traditions may help both you and your grandchild reduce confusion and stress. As grandparent and parent, you can also help your grandchild gain a sense of family history and legacies.

Like any other important role in life, it requires continued growth and learning - and maybe even a little creativity!

Facts About Secondhand Smoke There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Breathing even small amounts of secondhand smoke can be dangerous. Children are the highest risk group.

Secondhand smoke contains a deadly mix of more than 7,000 chemicals, hundreds of which are toxic and 69 that can cause cancer.

Each year, primarily because of exposure to secondhand smoke, an estimated 3,000 non-smoking Americans die of lung cancer.

Nonsmokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke at home or at work increase their risk of developing lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent.

Opening a window, sitting in a separate area or a fan cannot eliminate the hazards of secondhand smoke exposure.

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All Smiles Here!

Did you know supporting GRG of Brevard is as easy as shopping on Amazon?

Sign up for Amazon Smile and a portion of your purchase benefits GRG of Brevard!

First, visit AmazonSmile and select the option “Grandparents Raising Grandchildren of Brevard County, FL, Inc. from the list of charitable organizations Second, sign in to AmazonSmile from your desktop, tablet, laptop or mobile phone browser.

Third, shop as you normally would and support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren of Brevard County, FL Inc. in the process! Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase directly to GRG of Brevard!

HELP THE GRANDPARENTS AND CHILDREN OF GRG OF BREVARD BECOME A MEMBER AND/OR FRIEND

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren of Brevard County FL, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation.

All gifts are deductible on corporate, foundation and individual tax returns to the extent provided by state and federal laws.

Members of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren of Brevard County, FL, Inc. receive our newsletter and invitations to events where they can meet others in similar situations Name

I am raising children who are not my own I am their: [ ] Grandparent

Date:

______________________________________

Address:

___________________________________ ______________________________________

City/State:

___________________________________

Zip:

___________________________________

Phone:

___________________________________

Email:

______________________________________

[ ] Annual Membership $20 per family or $10 per caregiver

[ ] Aunt / Uncle [ ] Sister / Brother [ ] Other (please specify) [ ] I am not in this situation but I want to join GRG of Brevard because I am interested in what you do.

[ ] Annual Corporate Membership $500 I want to be a friend of the GRG of Brevard and enclose an additional donation of: [ ] $25

[ ] $50

[ ] $75

[ ] $100

Other: $

Please make your check payable to: Grandparents Raising Grandchildren of Brevard

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