University of Wisconsin - Extension

MILWAUKEE - Many have retired. They look forward to sleeping in, traveling and calling their time their own.

¿Yet when their children aren¿t capable of taking care of their grandchildren anymore, many grandparents step in, ¿ says Mary Dobbs, who facilitates a support and educational group for the African-American community through the Relative as Parent Program (RAPP).

Their children may have drug and alcohol addictions or may suffer from mental illness. Others can¿t handle the constant responsibility that comes with raising children.

Grandparents raising grandchildren

Many grandparents view it as the only choice, knowing that the only other option would be foster care. Others view it as a second chance at parenting, thinking they won¿t make the same mistakes they made with their own children.

Members of Dobbs¿ group range in age from 40 to 70. Meetings, preceded by a soup supper, are at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 2207 N. Second St., Milwaukee.

The 40-year-old grandmother¿s ideas and attitudes are quite different from group members who are in their late 60s and early 70s. Currently the group is ranking areas of common concern ranging from discipline, legislative and health needs, to financial concerns. They also share their feelings about raising grandchildren.

Community organizations and grants provide support

The UW-Milwaukee Center on Aging and Human Services, University Outreach and Milwaukee County UW-Extension Family Living Programs sponsor RAPP. The program became possible through a generous grant from the Brookdale Foundation of New York City and the United Way of Milwaukee County.

Grandparents learn activities to connect with grandchildren

Dobbs, who is employed by Milwaukee Public Schools as a social worker for 21st Street School, provides activities to keep people in her group connected.

Grandchildren directly benefit. She teaches grandparents how to play checkers, ¿Connect 4,¿ chess and ¿Go Fish.¿ ¿We also visit the Next Door Foundation so they can bring books into their home,¿ she says.

RAPP helps care givers get assistance

¿The latest census figures show that 2.4 million grandparents are their grandchildren¿s care givers,¿ says Nikki Panico, senior outreach specialist for the UW-Milwaukee Center on Aging and Human Services, University Outreach, who is the program manager for this initiative. ¿Through RAPP, we have partnered with strongly committed community organizations that, with our assistance, will provide accessible, group and individual support services to relative care givers.¿

While the program is still in its formative stages, a primary purpose is to help inner-city Hispanic, African-American and Hmong relative care givers overcome racial, language and cultural barriers. Then they¿re more able to face the legal, financial, health, stress and institutional mazes that come with raising children whose parents are absent.

For more information: Nikki Panico, (414) 227-3153