One of the early members of a support group for a unique bunch of people did what nobody wants to think about doing in the later stages of life - raise a grandchild.
Donna Eckert is the organizer of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, the support group originally started by the Kikino Métis Children & Family Services Society about 10 years ago.
Now the Prince George Grandparents Raising Grandchildren is a peer support program that's only about eight months old, supported by Parent Support Services of BC, and funded in part by the Canadian Mental Health Association Prince George branch.
Eckert is a grandmother who helped raise her grandchild for about two years and has supported him in his extracurricular activities for most of his life.
During the peer support meetings, Eckert facilitates concerns voiced about the challenges of day-to-day life.
"We give each other support," said Eckert, who offers information about resources grandparents can access to help ease the financial, emotional and physical burden. "And there's frustration when things happen and we can express ourselves at the meetings. It's really a network that keeps our sanity."
The small group of women at the meetings know there are more grandparents out there raising grandchildren that could benefit from this sanity-saving peer support and would like to invite others into the fold.
The group meets every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon at the Prince George Native Friendship Centre that has donated Room 218 to the cause.
"We know there's more grandparents out there and we'd like to invite them to join the group," said Eckert, who has also volunteered for at least the last five years at the BC Schizophrenia Society Prince George branch of Activity Centre for Empowerment (ACE), a community centre for people with mental health and addictions issues. She sits on the society's board that hosts ACE, as well as serving on an advisory board for the Canadian Mental Health Association Prince George branch.
Wearing another volunteer hat, Eckert is working on her master's degree so that not only can she teach a six-week chronic pain self-management program from the University of Victoria to those suffering, but can also teach the teachers.
Eckert's typical week starts by volunteering in ACE's kitchen every Monday morning, followed by Tuesday's Grandparents Raising Grandchildren support group and that afternoon it's time for a little self-care where she goes to exercise.
"Then there's the board meeting and the advisory things that I'm on and then I go to yoga on Friday," said Eckert. "I think it's important to do some self-care."
It's all right to acknowledge that you need to get away once in a while, said Eckert.
"And sometimes, I really need to get away," she added.
The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren support group is close to Eckert's heart.
The group is free and confidential, transportation is offered to those in need, topics are brought by those grandparents within the group to address the challenges and joys of raising grandchildren, the financial realities, the legal and custody issues, the health of grandparent and child, and resource sharing.
"When if comes to the financial struggles, that issue just kills me," said Eckert. "I was lucky my husband had a good job but it did cut into our retirement savings fund. I look at so many people who struggle financially while they're caring for their grandchildren and I would like to be able to have it so we could have better funding."
There are funding streams available to some grandparents under certain circumstances but the financial burden takes a toll when all the emotional issues have to be dealt with as well.
"We just want as many people to attend the support group meetings as possible," said Eckert. "I got a lot of help over the years and this is my way of giving back. We're there to listen - good and bad - and we might be able to help a bit as well."
For more information on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, call 250-962-0600, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.parentsupportbc.ca.
Flip through The Citizen's Volunteer City series, featuring stand-out volunteers in Prince George:
