For the past four years, members of the Assistance League of Greater Wilmington have held a holiday dinner and celebration for a group of special Wilmington-area grandparents. Grandparents Raising Grandchildren is comprised of adults who raise and support their grandchildren, nieces and/or nephews. They are recognized with an evening organized by the Assistance League of Greater Wilmington, during which the league’s members prepare and serve them dinner. The festive night of talking, laughing, singing and gift-giving took place Thursday, Dec. 4 at First Presbyterian Church.
The Grandparent Support Network (GSN) started in 2005 with joint support from Child Advocacy and Parenting Place Exchange Club Center, Inc. (CAPP Center) and First Presbyterian Church. Recognizing that more than 7 percent of North Carolina’s children are being raised by grandparents and other relatives, the group started with one great-grandparent and her four great-grandchildren. Since then, the group has grown to serve more than 45 caregivers and 70 children each year. More than 90 percent of group participants are below the poverty line and struggle to provide for their growing family’s needs. The group has become a community for families, with caregivers and children providing help and support for one another.
Assistance League of Greater Wilmington is an all-volunteer chapter of a national nonprofit organization. Annually, National Assistance League returns more than $38 million to local communities assisting more than 1.2 million people. The Wilmington chapter has more than 100 members. Visit http://algw.assistanceleague.org for more information.
