6 THE QUEENS COURIER • SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Celebrating Grandparents and Kinship Caregivers
Find us on:
Daniel’s Roofing
All Work Guaranteed!
FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED 4 GENERATIONS
FLAT ROOF & SHINGLE ROOF SPECIALISTS
• All Types of New Roofs
• Leaf Guards/Pest Guards
• Roof Repairs
• Seamless Gutters
• Roof Sealing
• Gutter Cleaning
• Firestone Rubber
• Masonry Repairs
• GAF Asphalt Shingles
• Waterproofing
• Brick Sealing
Senior
• Siding Repairs
• Chimney Caps
Discount
• Basement Waterproofing Special
15% OFF
New Roofs
Licensed Bonded Insured
Free Estimates
1-800-667-7658 • (917) 204-2906
danielsroofingnyc.com
Find us on Home Advisor and Angie’s List
SERVICING ALL OF QUEENS!
Find us on
During challenging times, we all need someone
to turn to for love and support. And more often
than not, the people we seek most are family. Our
families are the first to step in when we need help
and guidance.
This month, we are celebrating two special
groups of family members – grandparents
and kinship caregivers, who show us that love
is without limits or boundaries. September is
Kinship Care Month and National Grandparents’
Day is celebrated the Sunday after Labor Day. And
there are many reasons to celebrate these family
members beyond September.
In many households, grandparents and kinship
caregivers keep families together by caring for
young children during times of hardship. These
caregivers are older adults who are grandparents,
aunts, and uncles. And although many of them
are retired, they step up to fill the full-time job
of parenting children and youth.
The New York City Department for the Aging’s
Grandparent Resource Center recognizes the
challenges and demands grandparents and
older kinship caregivers face and helps them
by providing a variety of support services and
resources. The pandemic has proved to be a
challenge for many, especially for grandparent
caregivers and older kinship caregivers who were
new to this role and found themselves with limited
information to guide them. At the start of the
pandemic, the Grandparent Resource Center
transitioned its in-person services to virtual
services to keep providing case assistance, support
groups, and other resources to older kinship
caregivers during the City’s shutdown.
During the early months of the pandemic, the
Grandparent Resource Center also distributed
free computer tablets equipped with Wi-
Fi to caregivers so they could access virtual
programing, navigate remote learning for
children, and stay in touch with others. The
initiative has been successful in bridging the
digital divide and connecting generations through
technology. To keep that momentum going, I am
happy to announce that the City will continue
to offer another year of free internet service for
caregivers who were provided free tablets.
This fall, the Grandparent Resource Center
has been helping kinship caregivers and children
prepare for the new school year. Starting
September 28th, the Center is offering a sevenweek
Virtual Empowerment Program series to
help grandparent caregivers strengthen their
parenting and communications skills with their
grandchildren and learn how to stay connected
to their community and support network during
COVID-19. Grandparents or kinship caregivers
can sign up for the course by calling (212) 442-
1094 or emailing GRC@aging.nyc.gov.
The Grandparent Resource Center also
partnered with the Butler Hodson Senior Center
in the Bronx and other organizations for “Vax to
School” events where youth ages 12 years and older
could get the COVID-19 vaccine, receive school
supplies, and learn health tips and safety measures
in protecting themselves from COVID-19.
For caregivers, getting children ready for
school is only a small part of their work. Raising
a child in a healthy and safe environment takes
a lot of time, dedication, and commitment. Our
grandparent caregivers, John Medina and Doris
Lewis, are great examples of that. They both
recently received the “2021 Outstanding Kinship
Care Award” from the NYS KinCare Coalition for
their exceptional caregiving role.
John, a veteran from Brooklyn, is the primary
caregiver of his two grandchildren, whom he
started taking care of a few years ago and they
are now at the age of three and six. As a devoted
grandfather, John works hard to make sure
both children, who have medical conditions,
have the proper health check-ups. While John
is relatively new to his role, Doris has been
the grandparent caregiver to her 16-year-old
grandson since birth. Her commitment as a
grandmother and primary caregiver has helped
her grandson excel academically in school. She
is also very proud to say that she has passed on
the respect and manners needed for him to be
a young gentleman.
During this month and throughout the year,
we are honored to celebrate all grandparents
and kinship caregivers who are preparing the
next generation
for success by
showing them
the love and care
of family.
For information
about the services
and suppo r t
offered by the
Gr a n dp a r e nt
Resource Center,
call 311 or visit
nyc.gov/aging.
The Department for the Aging’s Grandparent Resource Center provides resources and support to help grandparents
who are kinship caregivers.
NYC Department for the Aging
Commissioner Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
/danielsroofingnyc.com
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
/aging
link
