GRANDstories Andy Pitrone

This grandfamily came out to the picnic thrown by Erie County's Kinship Caregiver Network.  Roberta and Dan are raising their grandson in Erie County, PA.  We struck up a nice rapport at the recent Kinship picnic.  They were eager to share stories from the nine years  they've been grandparent caregivers.  Some of the topics contained in this episode include building family traditions, connecting with their grandson's teachers, social and family acceptance, and respite.  You'll hear a short clip from a YouTube video called "Grandparents Raising Grandchildren-You're Not Alone" during this episode.
Link to YouTube Clip: watch

Cami and Jim have raised their granddaughter since she was an infant.  Their journey as a grandfamily has been flavored with dance recitals, gymnastic National championships, and rousing talent show performances. Through it all, they've managed to find healthy balances in their marriage, work, and social lives.  However, you'll notice right away, they couldn't be happier having their granddaughter at the center of their universe!

We were pleased to welcome Kimberly Beers and Vince DeStefano into the GRANDstories studio today.  Kimberly is the Vice President for Community Outreach and directs the Future Fund Scholarship for Erie County's Early Connections early care and education organization.  Vince is a  Prevention Education Specialist at the Crime Victim Center of Erie, Pennsylvania.  Kim and Vince co-chair Erie County's Kinship Care Consortium.  The Consortium aims to provide access to human services, educational opportunities, and family recreational events for Erie County kinship families.  A kinship family is described as a family led by someone other than a child's biological parents; for example grandfamilies!

This is the first episode of GRANDstories; a podcast featuring stories from grandparent caregivers living in Northwestern Pennsylvania.