Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

Community Supporters and Providers6th Annual Conference

June 7, 2017

Thanks to everyone who participated in the 2017 Conference for grandparents raising grandchildren. There were over 200 people in attendance this year including over 65%

grandparents and relative caregivers from across Massachusetts. The Commission would like to thank everyone for their participation, contributions, ideas, and suggestions.

Some of the highlights of the 2017 conference include:

Harriet Jackson-Lyons Award Recipients:Presented by First Lady Lauren Baker

The North Quabbin Support group for grandparents raising grandchildren

John Lepper Advocacy Award Recipient:Presented by Commission Vice-Chair Lynn Girton

Representative Paul Donato

Commission Chair John Lepper, Representative Paul Donato, Commission Vice-Chair Lynn Girton, Keynote Speaker Jarrett Krosoczka

Keynote Speaker:Jarrett Krosoczka, award-winning children’s book author

Thank you to Darlene Spencer for facilitating the “World Café” activity. All 200 attendees spent time sharing their experiences, ideas, and suggestions about what services and resources are

needed to ensure that children being raised by grandparents can thrive. Watch for an announcement in the near future with the world café results.

The Commission hopes that participants enjoyed the workshops offered on the impact of trauma on children, internet safety, educational resources throughout childhood development, and how to

talk with children about substance abuse.

Finally, the Commission would like to thank all of the agencies and service providers who were gracious in their time to provide information and resources at the resource tables for

grandparents, relative caregivers, and providers.

Commission Chair John Lepper, First Lady Lauren Baker, Commission Director Colleen Pritoni

Keynote Speaker Jarrett Krosoczka 2017 Conference Participants