Miss Valerie is just one of nearly 100,000 grandparents providing care for a loved one’s child. Many of the grandparents find themselves in these unexpected circumstances due to unfortunate circumstances such as domestic violence, the opioid epidemic, or the death of a parent. They all just want to do the best they can to care for their grandchildren.

Miss Valerie is co-parenting her six great-grandchildren with her granddaughter. The children range in age from a teenager all the way to a 5-month-old baby girl. It’s a busy life and not one she expected to be living at her age.

Thanks to your support Miss Valerie has access to valuable resources she didn’t even know were available to her. Kinship Connections through Beech Acres Parenting Center provides access to financial resources, help with navigating complex paperwork, and most importantly, connections with other caregivers in similar circumstances.

Miss Valerie has been attending Kinship classes for over a year and always makes sure to bring plenty of great questions, and plenty of pictures of her great-grandchildren.

Caregivers in Kinship Connections share stories and laughter, and yes even a few tears, but they are stronger together and take what they learn back home to care for the children in their home. This #GivingTuesday support kinship caregivers with a gift to Beech Acres Parenting Center. 9% of all children in Ohio are being raised by a grandparent or other relative that needs support now. You can make a difference with your gift today.