Supporting Relative Caregiver Families of Brevard County, FL March 2017
Support Group Meetings When you come to a support meeting you get a chance to connect with other caregivers by sharing stories and information, offering support and listening to each other. Come out and join us, have fellowship and network! Please contact the GRG office for more information or questions. Friday March 3 – 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 March 9 – Club Esteem Club Esteem 3316 Monroe Street, Melbourne 10:00 – 11:30 am (This meeting is always the second Thursday of each month)
Tuesday March 14 – Cocoa Beach Riverside Presbyterian Church 3400 N. Atlantic Ave. Cocoa Beach 9:30–11:00 am (This meeting is always the second Tuesday of each month)
Wednesday March 15 – South Brevard Memaw’s Restaurant, 4916 Babcock Blvd, Palm Bay 6:00–7:30pm (Dinner is available at member's expense) (This meeting is always the third Wednesday of each month)
Tuesday March 21 – Central Brevard GRG of Brevard Office, 123 Barton Blvd, Rockledge 9:30 -11 am (This meeting is always the third Tuesday of each month)
Thursday March 30 – Melbourne Beach Side Memaw’s Restaurant, Indian Harbour Beach, 9:30–11:30 am (Breakfast is available at member's expense) (This meeting is always the last Thursday of each month)
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Adopting Your Grandchild Do not ignore the grief The adoption of your grandchild is indeed a joyous and happy one. Yet, the internal process for all involved can be a challenging one, especially for your grandchild. Children may have a difficult time accepting the fact that they will never return to live with their biological parents again. It is necessary for you, as an adoptive parent, to allow your grandchild time to grieve the loss of connection with their birth parents. Your grandchild may very well need time to experience the stages of grief before they fully transfer attachment. Adoption can be an emotionally difficult time for a child. No longer will kids be able to hope for possible reunification with their biological parents. Change is difficult Instead, the termination of rights by birth parents might produce feelings of grief and loss within them, fears they had kept bottled within themselves during the length of their stay in your care. Kids may even feel that they have betrayed their biological parents as they legally take the adoptive grandparents’ last name. You may find that your grandchild revisits the stages of grief again, both during and after the adoption process. Indeed, it can be an emotionally traumatic time for all involved. Do not ignore the questions Even though your grandchild may have lived in your home, they will likely re-experience feelings of loss during the adoption process. Allow them to discuss their feelings of grief and loss with you as you listen attentively to them, validating his feelings and emotions; answer them as honestly as you can. Questions are very important to them, for both their well-being and future. They need to know that their past is important, and that they are now a full-fledged child of yours and are loved just the same as all the others in the house.
Adoption Tax Credit The credit is paid one time for each adopted child, and should be claimed when taxpayers file taxes for 2016 for adoptions finalized in 2016, there is a federal adoption tax credit of up to $13,460 per child. The adoption tax credit is NOT a refundable credit, which means taxpayers can only get the credit refunded if they have federal income tax liability. Please go to the NACAC(North American Council on Adoptable Children), http://www.nacac.org/taxcredit/taxcredit2016.html
Save the Date Generations United is thrilled to announce plans for the 5th National GrandRally: Building a Community of Hope on May 10th 2017, in Washington, DC. Learn more: https://grandrally2017.org/about/ If you are interested in going please email grg.brevard@gmail.com
Seussical Celebration You could not, would not, want to miss the "Seussical Celebration" Saturday, March 4th at McLarty Park, 790 Barton Blvd in Rockledge (4-8pm). Arts show, crafts, food trucks and a free movie at 6:30pm–8 pm. Learn more about the free event http://www.211brevard.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Seussical_Celebration_Flyer_3-4-2017.pdf
From Mary Ann: Please let me take the time to thank all of you who attend support group meetings and volunteer in time of need. There are some special volunteers that need recognition for all the time and effort they offer to keep us going. Lou Ann & Jonathan Hawes, Lillian & Bill Hobson, Dolores Collins, Lillian Sanders, Lynne Crider, Gigi Robertson, and Joyce & Robert Legg. Our meetings with DCF on the last Monday of each month have not been attended very well. It has taken years to have them join us for review of cases. Please make plans to attend these meeting, it would be appreciated. Next meeting is March 27th, contact GRG of Brevard office for more into.321-631-7776
HELPING KIDS UNDERSTAND BULLYING Kids who know what bullying is can better identify it. They can talk about bullying if it happens to them or others. In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include: • An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people. • Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. It’s important the kids know ways to safely stand up to bullying and how to get help. • Encourage kids to speak to a trusted adult if they are bullied or see others being bullied. The adult can give comfort, support, and advice, even if they can’t solve the problem directly. Encourage the child to report bullying if it happens. • Talk about how to stand up to kids who bully. Give tips, like using humor and saying “stop” directly and confidently. Talk about what to do if those actions don’t work, like walking away. • Talk about strategies for staying safe, such as staying near adults or groups of other kids. • Urge them to help kids who are bullied by showing kindness or getting help. • Model How to Treat Others with Kindness and Respect: Kids learn from adults’ actions. By treating others with kindness and respect, adults show the kids in their lives that there is no place for bullying. Even if it seems like they are not paying attention, kids are watching how adults manage stress and conflict, as well as how they treat their friends, colleagues, and families. If your grandchild is being bullied please contact school officials.
Ted Whitlock Community Center – 370 Championship Cir NW, Palm Bay http://www.palmbayflorida.org/government/ departments/parks-recreation/daycamps/spring-break-camp Big City Basketball Spring Break Camp 8705 N. Wickham Rd., Melbourne http://www.coachgartrelle.com/ Kiwanis Island Park - 951 Kiwanis Island Park Dr, Merritt Island, http://fun4spacecoastkids.com/Camps/Spring-BreakCamps/Kiwanis-Island-Park-Spring-Break-Camp/Visit.html Lipscomb Community Center – 3316 S. Monroe St. Melbourne lipscombcc@melbourneflorida.org Rodes Park - 3410 Flanagan Avenue, West Melbourne http://fun4spacecoastkids.com/Camps/Spring-Break-Camps/RodesPark-Spring-Break-Camp/Visit.html South Beach 500 Old Florida Trail, Melbourne Beach http://fun4spacecoastkids.com/Camps/Spring-Break-Camps/SouthBeach-Spring-Break-Camp/View-details.html Viera Rec Center - 2300 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera http://fun4spacecoastkids.com/Camps/Spring-Break-Camps/VieraRec-Center-Spring-Break-Camp/View-details.html We have funding for summer camps - GRG will pay registration fee directly to the camp and you must bring us the receipt.
The Family Counseling Center of Brevard (321) 632-5792 (Cocoa – Melbourne – Titusville) The Titusville Elks Lodge has once again this year offered to send our grandchildren to summer camp. They will pay for a week of camp for your grandchild. The sleep-away camp is open to boys and girls ages 9 -13. Register online –
http://www.floridaelks.org/camper-application Your grandchild will need a physical and current shot record to attend camp. When you come to the payment section please put in Titusville Lodge #2113. If you have any questions or need help, please contact GRG Office 321-631-7776 ask for Karen.
1. Take time to do something FOR YOURSELF 2. If you're feeling overwhelmed, arrange for some OUTSIDE HELP 3. Keep you SENSE OF HUMOR 4. ACCEPT that children sometimes make mistakes 5. COUNT to 10 before you react when you get angry. 6. Ease tension with a human TOUCH - share a hug. 7. LISTEN to your child 8. Schedule FAMILY FUN AND FITNESS 9. Talk with friends about PARENTING CONCERNS 10. Learn how children mature so you can be REALISTIC in your expectations.
TIPS FOR STRESS-LESS PARENTING
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 Date:
I am raising children who are not my own I am their: [ ] Grandparent [ ] Aunt / Uncle
Address:
[ ] Sister / Brother [ ] Other (please specify)
City/State: Zip: Phone: Email:
[ ] I am not in this situation but I want to join GRG of Brevard because I am interested in what you do.
[ ] Annual Membership $20 per family or $10 per caregiver [ ] 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