Generations This Week

At Thursday's (Dec. 3) reception on Washington, DC's Capitol Hill, Generations United released their latest report, The State of Grandfamilies in America: 2015 . This second edition of the annual State of Grandfamilies in America report identified key state laws and policies specifically designed to address barriers and better support the diverse and unique population of grandparents and other relatives raising children. We also honored Senator Ron Wyden and nationally-syndicated Washington Post columnist Michelle Singletary .

Click the image to enlarge.

Senator Wyden received our 2015 Grandfamilies Champion Award and we presented Michelle with our 2015 Media Award . The next day (Dec. 4), we held a briefing on Capitol Hill that provided more details from the report and included presentations from caregivers, youth raised by relatives and state experts and service providers serving grandfamilies. Michael Morris, a member of our National Center on Grandfamilies Advisory Council, moderated a panel of grandparent caregivers. Check out the highlights!

Among the report findings:

Almost 65 percent of children in kinship care families live in states with 50 percent or less of the key laws and policies that support grandfamilies.
Our top 10 states met more than half of our criteria for grandfamily-friendly laws and policies.
Only three states secured a passing grade (above 60 percent)
No state scored 100 percent and had all of the laws and policies
The top states are California, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Montana, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Texas and Washington.

Download the full report to learn more.

A Huge Thanks to Our Members and Supporters

We thank Paul Arfin as well as our renewing members, Kendal at Oberlin and Bridges Together, for their contributions. You can also contribute and/or honor a friend or loved one with a Tribute Gift to Generations United. Donate to help us unleash the potential of an "age-amped" society.

Help Us Promote the Best Intergenerational Communities Awards

Check out our Social Media Toolkit to help us spread the word with sample Facebook posts, tweets, and newsletter articles. We've also included logos you can use if you wish.

Applications due Jan. 15. Learn more

Unfinished Business: Social Action in Suburbia - Long Island, NY 1945-2014

Paul Arfin, Generations United's former coordinator of Seniors4Kids in New York State, has recently written a book, Unfinished Business: Social Action in Suburbia - Long Island NY 1945-2014. The book

chronicles key highlights of the seventy-year time period, describing the many personal and organizational struggles and accomplishments to establish social service and social justice programs in Nassau and Suffolk Counties during an exciting and challenging time in Long Island's history. The book describes dozens of community initiatives launched on Long Island that were later replicated elsewhere in the nation. Learn more

Culture United

Slow Way Home by Michael Morris

When his mother, Sophia, leaves him at a Raleigh bus station and sets off to find her "destiny" in Canada, eight-year-old Brandon Willard's grandmother raises him on her farm, where he spends his days playing with his cousins and trying to forget the past. In the safety of that place, Brandon finally is able to trust the love of an adult to help iron out the wiry places until his nerves are as steady as any other boy's. But when Brandon's mom shows up a year later with a determined look in her eye and a new man in tow, Brandon's grandparents ignore a judge's ruling and flee the state with Brandon.

Do you know of any films, books, music and TV shows with an intergenerational theme? Share them with us and we'll share in the weeks and months to come. See disclaimer.

Cool Ideas

LIFE

This week's cool ideas is LIFE - Living (well through) Intergenerational Fitness & Exercise - in Iowa, a program led by younger adults that increases access for at-risk older rural populations to sustainable, low cost, physical activity programming.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Why not tweet your cool intergenerational ideas to #cooligideas ? You can also post them to our Intergenerational Connections Facebook Group. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter! Share the inspiration . Learn more about JCA Heyman Interages Center - Intergenerational Bridges .

Think Intergenerational - Funding Opportunities

Stop Hunger Grant. Youth Service America and Sodexo Foundation are looking for 125 of the best ideas from young people about how they can help end childhood hunger in their communities. They will offer $400 grants to youth leaders ages 5-25 across the U.S. to turn their ideas into action.

Deadline: Jan. 15, 2016. Learn more

Responsive Grant. The Retirement Research Foundation is accepting request for proposals for efforts that increase the competency of professionals and paraprofessionals who serve older adults. Deadline: Feb. 1, 2016. Learn more

If you have - or know of - any intergenerational funding opportunities, please send them to Alan King at [email protected]

Great Resources

Research

The Resounding Resiliency of Grandfamilies: Financial Stories from Older Relatives Caring for Children in Lower-Income Communities.

Citi Community Development commissioned this report by Generations United and CFED , which highlights the financial strengths and challenges facing grandparents raising grandchildren in low-income communities. Learn more

Events

Conferences

Disparate Income, Wealth and Opportunity: Implications for Social Insurance. National Academy of Social Insurance. Washington, DC. Jan. 27-28, 2016. Learn more

Educate. Ignite. Transform. National Youth Leadership Council. Minneapolis, MN. March 30 - April 2, 2016. Learn more

Quote

" We as an older generation, we need to give all our young people love, and the possibility of realizing their dreams." ~Kenny Leon, Broadway director

Your Feedback Invited!

We want Generations This Week to be a real resource for you. Please send us any national news on intergenerational issues in addition to upcoming conferences, funding opportunities, reports and webinars. Local and state events can be shared in our Facebook group. Please also let us know how we can improve! My email is [email protected]. I'd love to hear from you!

Best,

Alan King

Communications Specialist

Generations United

Treat Yourself GRAND!

As a reader of Generations This Week, you can receive a complimentary subscription to GRAND, the online magazine by grandparents, for grandparents. That's a $19.95 value for 12 issues.

Apply for your subscription and get valuable offers, inspirational stories, and more. Each new, bimonthly issue will be delivered right to your inbox!