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"Grandparents, like heroes, are as necessary to a child's growth as vitamins." - Joyce Allston PHOTO CAPTION: Amish Grandfather playing with his grandson [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1339432457745747&set=pb.100050370164918.-2207520000&type=3] |
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"Never since the Orphan work has been in existence have I asked one single human being for any help for this work; and yet, unasked for, simply in answer to prayer, from so many parts of the world, as has been stated, the donations have come in, and that very frequently at a time of the greatest need." – George Muller George Muller prayed and trusted God [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.instagram.com/p/DNafAnsCCmK/?img_index=4] ARTICLE: https://www.georgemuller.org/devotional/five-conditions-of-prevailing-prayer7854890] BLOG: https://lutherandcalvinbrigade914.blogspot.com/2025/09/george-muellers-220th-birthday.html |
September 27, 2025 would have been Evangelist George Mueller’s 220th birthday. He was born on September 27, 1805. He was known as a "prayer warrior" for his extraordinary reliance on prayer and faith to fund and operate large orphanages and other ministries, caring for over 10,000 children and establishing over 100 schools without ever soliciting donations or asking anyone for money. His journals documented tens of thousands of answered prayers, demonstrating his belief that God would provide for every need when communicated through constant prayer and trust.
September is also Kinship Care month - an annual observance to raise awareness and recognize the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other family members who provide care for children. The month aims to celebrate these caregivers and highlight the benefits of kinship care, such as improved mental health outcomes for children and the preservation of family bonds.
In observance to both Kinship Care month and the 220th birthday of George Muller, which we remember those who adopt children. I will post articles and videos of two stories of kinship care before I give my thoughts and endorsements.
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Respect old people, and be gentle with children. – Japanese saying [PHOTO SOURCE: https://share.google/images/PJKbv9neYOuUFhYIZ ..... https://www.alamy.com/respect-old-people-and-be-gentle-with-children-ancient-japanese-proverb-printed-on-grunge-vintage-cardboard-image220349461.html] |
More and more grandparents are raising their grandchildren. That comes with special challenges.
By
September 22, 2025 / 6:20 PM EDT / CBS New York
The number of grandparents raising their grandchildren has risen over the past decade.
According to the American Society on Aging, over two million grandparents across the country are primary caregivers to their grandchildren. That comes with unique challenges, especially when it comes to housing and community support.
In New York state, there are over 120,000 grandparents who are the kinship caregivers. In New York City, about 250,000 children are being raised by relatives - mainly grandparents.
New York City has a special housing complex that helps "grandfamilies," as they're known, meet those challenges, so both the older adults and their grandchildren can survive, and thrive.
"I don't know how long I can do this"
Seniors like Rosali Wynter have been taking on a second act of parenting after losing a child to death, addiction or incarceration.
Wynter, 77, is raising her 13-year-old granddaughter Aaliyah Myles. Wynter became Aaliyah's caregiver when she was in her 60s, and Aaliyah was just 6 months old. Aaliyah's mother was battling drug addiction when she was born, and Aaliyah was placed in foster care as an infant, until her grandmother, who she now calls "mommy," stepped in.
"At first, when she was much younger, it was harder because I have to take her to the babysitter, go to work, pick her up," Wynter said. "I didn't realize it was so much. I was always saying I don't know how long I can do this."
"She's always there for me, and she's always there for important times," Myles said.
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Grandparent Family Apartments, a collaborative project between WSFSSH and NYCHA, offers housing and supportive services to 50 families of elders raising younger generations, often grandchildren. Located in the Bronx, this model program features an activity center, gardens, and apartments with essential amenities. Opened in 2005, it offers social services and family support. [PHOTO SOURCE: https://wsfssh.org/building/grandparents-family-apartments/] |
"It's hard to raise a child at that stage in your life"
Advocates say more living spaces, financial support and and resources are needed to take care of the growing grandfamily population.
Wynter and Myles have been living in a grandparent family apartment in the Bronx for more than two years. It's a 50 unit building designed specifically for grandfamilies, with a social worker on site 24/7. Chalonda Reid is the building manager.
"At this point in your life, you are not supposed to be parents. You are supposed to be enjoying life, and it's hard to raise a child at that stage in your life," Reid said.
The West Side Federation for Seniors and Supportive Housing is the organization behind the program, which is financed through public and private funding. It was started in 2005, and the building that houses grandfamilies is still the only one of its kind in New York City.
"How do you look at a senior, or child, in need of something, and you don't help. That's hard to do," Reid said.
So is there help for grandparents who are caregivers?
"You have to go out there, and it's not as plentiful as it should be. It's hard," Reid said. "The social workers here will help them get children enrolled in school, medical benefits, medical doctors themselves, finding the services they might need."
Some additional resources for grandfamilies in New York can be found here, and for families in New Jersey, they can be found here.
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Rosali Wynter, left, is raising her granddaughter Aaliyah Myles. [PHOTO SOURCE: https://share.google/images/mhQqygdxWrdVylhM1 ..... https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/grandfamilies-increasing-ny-nj-resources/] |
"I know I'm not alone"
The building is more than an address. It's a home, with shared stories and helping hands.
"I know I'm not alone in this situation," Myles said.
"The grandparent, as well as the child, still see the family unit together somewhat. They get that love," Reid said.
"The difficulty is just to let her listen and understand what life is all about," Wynter said.
Wynter said Myles is starting to take care of her.
"If I tell her to do something, she will do it," Wynter said. "At night she will say, grandma why don't you go lay down, why don't you go sleep."
Myles said her grandmother has been her guiding light.
So what has given Wynter the strength to care for Myles all these years?
"Just pray and have faith, If I'm not around, whatever I teach her can can carry her through," Wynter said.
INTERNET SOURCE: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/grandfamilies-increasing-ny-nj-resources/
VIDEO SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiaY7Zkypc0
“We need old friends to
help us grow old and new friends to help us stay young.” – Amish Proverb Grandchildren are the
crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers. – Proverbs 17:6
(ESV) Sometimes the smartest
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Grandparents raising grandchildren on the rise in the US
Posted: Jan 30, 2025 / 06:54 PM EST
Updated: Jan 30, 2025 / 06:54 PM EST
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(WBRE/WYOU) — Grandparents raising grandchildren, also known as kinship care, has become increasingly common across the U.S. And right here in NEPA. In many cases, substance use disorder involving opioids is to blame.
95,000 older adults throughout the U.S. Have taken on the responsibility of raising their grandchildren or children who are not their own. In Luzerne County, there are an estimated 1,000 families that include grandparents raising grandchildren.
Opioid Education and treatment across NEPA
As the unique, family dynamic increases, ample resources and support groups are becoming more common.
“Samantha is a blessing in disguise,” said Catherine Farraday, Pittston.
Samantha is Faraday’s adopted daughter. The 13-year-old had been permanently living with Catherine at her home in Pittston for more than a year before officially joining the Faraday Family on December 15, 2023.
“Samantha’s mother passed away unfortunately, and I was appointed as her godmother by her biological mother of course. In my mind a godmother’s duty is to raise a child should anything happen to the parent,” said Farraday.
Farraday does not have any biological children of her own, so the decision to adopt Samantha wasn’t taken lightly.
The biggest challenge for the Farraday’s was not knowing where to turn for help. Although Catherine had developed a strong bond with Samantha, she needed assistance navigating the legal process.
“There’s so much help out there, it’s just trying to find it,” said Farraday.
During an annual conference of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Wilkes-Barre, Farraday met Frank Mariano, the President of the non-profit group, Advocacy Fund 4 Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.
“One of the functions is to provide grants to grandparents or kinship providers any child under 18 that are looking to get custody or adopt that child,” said Mariano.
“They helped me financially to be able to adopt our daughter,” said Farraday.
The Advocacy Fund 4 Grandparents Raising Grandchildren offers grants of up to $2,800 per family.
“We have a simple application process we only provide services to residents in Luzerne County, that’s only because of our limited resources,” said Mariano.
It’s been more than a year since Catherine Farraday has adopted Samantha and her mom says the young teen has adjusted really well to her new environment, keeping busy playing sports, taking an interest in flying, and making friends.
“She’s done really well in school 90% A’s and 10 % B’s. She’s got a lot of help doing standard things getting out here being a kid, being able to compete in sports, and getting good grades understanding what true friends are so that’s wonderful for her,” said Farraday.
There are support groups for grandparents raising grandchildren. The New American Heroes support group meets monthly on the second Monday of each month at the JCC in Kingston. If you can’t make it in person, zoom links can be emailed to you.
There are also support groups in White Haven and Wyoming County.
For a list of more support groups, visit Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.
INTERNET SOURCE: https://www.2822news.com/parenting-playbook/grandparents-raising-grandchildren-on-the-rise-in-the-us/
VIDEO SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyZHabqPT0I
MY THOUGHTS:
We must appreciate our parents who will become grandparents one day for taking care of us and our children, by raising us up and showing love and care. Let us show our love and care by visiting and taking care of them when they grow old, like the Dawdy Haus, Bruderhof and Grandfamilies Apartments.
I feel emotional when I think of Kinship care (I strongly support the idea), I do not want to see society deteriorate. If you see the two article above, I admire and respect those grandparents who are willing to adopt and raise their grandchildren, when the parents could not do it. As George Muller said about raising children:
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The power for good or evil that resides in a little child is great beyond all human calculation. A child rightly trained may be a world-wide blessing, with an influence reaching onward to eternal years. But a neglected or misdirected child may live to blight and blast mankind, and leave influences of evil which shall roll on in increasing volume till they plunge into the gulf of eternal perdition. – George Muller [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.georgemuller.org/quotes/train-a-child-in-the-way-he-should-go] https://www.georgemuller.org/devotional/the-wise-sayings-of-george-muller https://lutherandcalvinbrigade914.blogspot.com/2025/09/george-muellers-220th-birthday.html |
ENDORSEMENTS:
Please see these two videos to hear testimonies of children being raised by their grandparents and how they did not regret it:
Shaheed Morris Celebrates National Kinship Care Month
Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network
Sep 27, 2025
One minute video sharing a personal reflection from someone who was raised in a kinship family.
VIDEO SOURCE: https://youtu.be/xASVDVSxNIc?si=EmYdnkR-mWUHbE93
Hannah Hines Celebrates National Kinship Care Month
VIDEO SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjhVy9Nfw_w
I endorse the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network which is part of the Generations United Organization. If you can get involved with them or donate money to help them.
GRANDFAMILIES RESIDENCE LINKS:
https://wsfssh.org/building/grandparents-family-apartments/
https://www.gksnetwork.org/resources/housing-developments-for-grandfamilies/
GRANDFAMILIES LINKS:
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/09/dawdi-haus-for-elderly-parents.html
The old woman looks after the child to grow it’s teeth and the young one in turn looks after the old woman when she loses her teeth. – African Proverb
GRANDFAMILIES ON THE RISE
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/10/grandfamilies-on-rise.html
“We need old friends to help us grow old and new friends to help us stay young.” – Amish Proverb
GRAND-FRIENDS PROGRAM ARE AWESOME
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/02/grand-friends-program-are-awesome.html
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. - Proverbs 22:6 (ESV)
Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act 2018 – Sermons for Parents and Grandfamilies on raising children
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/07/supporting-grandparents-raising.html
"Never since the Orphan work has been in existence have I asked one single human being for any help for this work; and yet, unasked for, simply in answer to prayer, from so many parts of the world, as has been stated, the donations have come in, and that very frequently at a time of the greatest need." – George Muller
GEORGE MUELLER’S 220TH BIRTHDAY
https://lutherandcalvinbrigade914.blogspot.com/2025/09/george-muellers-220th-birthday.html
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/02/sermons-on-hebrews-10-verse-24-to-25.html
