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RECENT/UPCOMING EVENTS

GRANDPARENTS & Grandchildren FUN DAY Exploring Baltimore's Treasure's : Fun Activities to do with Grandchildren SATURDAY MAY 15, 2010 10:00AM - 3:00PM WAXTER SENIOR CENTER 1000 CATHEDRAL STREET BALTIMORE, MD 21201

Untitled Document GrandFamilies of America is proud to be a partner at the 40th Annual NFPA conference. Information below. This will be the first time that relative caregivers of relative children and foster parents will come together under one venue. As we are more alike than different, be sure and not miss this groundbreaking conference. To register for the conference go to www.nfpaonline.org NFPA (National Foster Parent Association) 40th ANNUAL CONFERENCE A VOGAGE TO HOPE May 29-31 - 2010 Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel 700 Aliceanna Street Baltimore, MD 21202 www.marriott.com/bsiwf

Untitled Document Pat Owens, President/CEO GrandFamilies of America to be the keynote speaker at the Kentucky State Conference on Aging, to be held in Lexington on March 25th, 2010!!! GrandFamilies of America will also facilitate a workshop and co/host the wrap up session at the end of the conference with Generations United. Pat has been invited by Jack Pattie of WVLK/AM 59 to be a guest on his show for a full hour on Monday, March 15th, to discuss her keynote address at the Lexington Conference on March 25th, and issues her national organization handles regarding kinship issues. Listeners will be allowed to call in and ask Pat questions. The show will begin at 9:00 a.m. eastern standard time. If you receive this station, please join us and "Thank You" Mr. Pattie for this wonderful opportunity!! GrandFamilies of America to partner with the NFGPA (National Foster Parents Association) at their national conference on Memorial Day weekend, 2010. GrandFamilies of America and their new national partner, The US Department of Education will play an intricate part in this conference, the first of its kind. The Theme of the conference will be "More Alike Than Different". More information on registration to follow.
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GRANDFAMILIES OF AMERICA PARTNERS WITH US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IN READING UP EVENT WITH THE FIRST MOTHER-IN-LAW!

GrandFamilies of America answered the call from the US Department of Education in Washington, D.C. and brought over 100 grandparents and grandchildren to the nation's capitol to participate in an event where first mother-in-law Marian Robinson read to those in attendance. The event was carried on local and national media outlets. GrandFamilies of America and their relative caregivers and children, were joined by their Baltimore partners, Baltimore GrandFamiles and Family Matters. Their coordinator is Annette Saunders a long time partner and advisor to GrandFamilies of America and our Maryland non-profit, Solutions For Children and Caregivers. All of the Maryland groups provide a variety of support, education, respite, and mentoring to relative caregivers of children across the state of Maryland. GrandFamilies of America is the national group; the only one of it's kind because it is staffed by all volunteer caregivers, which connects the dots on a national level.

GRANDFAMILIES OF AMERICA TO PARTICIPATE IN GENERATION'S UNITED CONFERENCE ON JULY 28TH IN WASHINGTON D.C.

Pat Owens, President/CEO of GrandFamilies of America will be a panelist on the Caregiver Panel at the Pre Intensive part of Generations United Conference. Michael Owens, Pat's grandson and now adopted son, will participate in the youth panel on the same day. Michael provides support to children being cared for by their relatives at various events. Pat is also the founder and Director of Solutions For Children and Caregivers of Maryland.

GrandFamilies of America welcomes Heidi Redlich-Epstein of the American Bar Association to it’s advisory board. Welcome to our grand family Heidi!! GrandFamilies of America is proud to officially welcome Heidi Redlich Epstein, JD, MSW, to our advisory board. Heidi is the Director of Kinship Policy and the Assistant Director of State Projects at the American Bar Association’s Center on Children and the Law in Washington, D.C.

Heidi partnered with GrandFamilies of America to host a gathering of leaders in Washington, D.C. in March where we discussed next steps in supporting grandparents and other relatives raising children.

Heidi’s ability to combine the areas of law with her background in social work produces a unique approach to our issues. In addition to her work with the Permanency Barriers Project, Heidi joined forces with Generations United and Casey Family Programs to develop the Grandfamilies State Law and Policy Resource Center. GrandFamilies of America strives to empower the caregiver and the Grandfamilies Law and Policy site has become a valuable web based tool to assist relative caregivers across the nation.

Pat Owens will be serving on the Pre Conference Intensive panel at the upcoming Generation United Conference. The conference will run from July 27th through the 31st. It is not to late to register for this wonderful conference. Just go to www.gu.org and follow the prompts.

Michael Owens will be participating in the Generations United Conference youth panel. Michael spoke from the podium at the 2005 GrandRally in Washington, D.C. Michael will share his experience of being raised by his grandmother, Pat Owens.

Dr. Rosemare Satyshur, currently lead professor of pediatric nursing and the University of Maryland and formerly Director of the Social Services Administration for the state of Maryland was awarded a grant aimed at the well being of grandparents raising relative children. It is a six month program with participants receiving a Wal Mart gift certificate each session they attend. Pat Owens coordinated the participants. We exceeded our goal of 12 participants and actually are working with 20 individuals, which is the maximum we could allow in the program.

GRANDFAMILIES OF AMERICA WELCOMES A NEW PARTNER!!

Gwen Bartholomew and Linda Boles, both of Houston, Texas, have set up a Texas chapter of GrandFamilies of America Texas. Both of these ladies are raising multiple grandchildren and leading their state in advocacy on kinship issues. Welcome aboard our common sense train to kinship care advocacy ladies!!

WAY TO GO SHARON!!! Our very own VP Sharon Olson has been asked to contract with the Minnesota Kinship Care Association (MKCA)for which she is the current VP, to travel the entire state of Minnesota to train caregivers to advocate for their issues and form a partnerships within their communities to make positive change. We are very proud of Sharon and Minnesota will have the benefit of someone who is the premier kinship entity in Minnesota.

Alliance For Children & Families And PEW Setting Fly In April 9th & 10th (Relative caregivers, child welfare advocates, and professionals from around the country gathered to carry their message to their congressional representatives) 3rd GRANDRALLY AT THE NATIONS CAPITOL May 7th 2008 Over 1000 Grandparents and Relative Caregivers of Children Gathered on the west lawn of the nation's capitol, to share their common bond of providing safety and permanency for the children in their care, while at the same time preserving their families and heritage.

May 6th In Conjunction with GrandRally GrandFamilies of America GrandRally Conference AARP Foundation Washington, D.C. 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (This first of it's kind conference was a huge success.

Thanks to our host AARP, this event was a huge success, and we were scrambling to find additional seating right up until the last day. July 21-23, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC for `the 11th National Child Welfare Data & Technology Conference

GrandFamilies of America joined with The Children's Defense Fund, Generations United, CLASP, and Child Focus to form a group called "In The Weeds", which has just completed a lengthy report on the new kinship legislation which will serve as a handbook on how to understand the new legislation, how to explain it to relative caregivers that advocates work with, and in addition this tool will serve as an important instrument in bringing about compliance to this legislation around the country. This document will soon be posted on our legislative link.

Our own Sharon Olson, VP of GrandFamilies of America and Vice-President of the Minnesota Kinship Care Association (MKCA) traveled to Utah to present at their state-wide child welfare conference, and then to Chicago with Child Focus to promote further work on the Fostering Success Bill. Sharon has also been tapped to be the voice for advocacy education across her home state of Minnesota in a special six month program. She will also be traveling to Maryland at the end of March to jointly promote upcoming and current activities of GrandFamilies of America with President/CEO Pat Owens.

Pat was the Keynote speaker at the Maryland AARP Andrus Volunteer Luncheon in November. Many thanks to Joe Demattos, Director of AARP Maryland for moving kinship issues in Maryland into the forefront and making it one of his priorities.

Thanks to the support of AARP Maryland, Pat has been able to move the advocacy of her state non-profit Solutions For Children And Caregivers of Maryland into the school system, and has been invited to make presentations to many schools around the state. She will also be traveling to New Jersey, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania in the next two months to present.

Pat has been working with her Maryland legislators on legislation that will be proposed during Maryland's upcoming legislative session in January, 2009. Keep checking our legislation link to keep track of legislative action across the country.

GrandFamilies of America is happy to report that Peg Hires, a founding member and currently secretary, has fully recovered from her near fatal automobile accident right after she returned home from our 3rd GrandRally in May. She has returned to a full schedule with her GAP of Indiana activities/responsibilities, and is also once again fulfilling her duties with GrandFamilies of America. WELCOME BACK PEG!!!!

Many of you know Amy Goyer, formerly for many years with the AARP Grand Parent Center national in Washington, D. C. She has now moved to a new job as Senior Vice President, Outreach GRANDPARENTS.COM . All of us at GrandFamilies of America wish her the best and look forward to working with her in the future. GOOD LUCK AMY!!!

Sharon will be traveling to Maryland again in the month of March. Pat and Sharon will be traveling to New Jersey on March 24th for a presentation in Ocean County which will connect the last dots for that state regarding kinship issues.