Mary Turner, 53, is part of an epidemic sweeping the United States—an epidemic of grandparents raising their grandchildren. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 2.5 million grandparents are the primary caregivers for their grandchildren.

Six years ago, Mary got custody of six grandchildren who now range in age from 7 to 14. Mary’s  daughters struggled with drug addiction and could no longer care for their children. Mary tells both of them: “You can have custody back. Just get your life together.”

Of the struggles her daughters face, Mary says, “The Devil is always busy.”

The father of the two oldest children is in and out of jail. Mary tells him: “It’s time to grow up. You have missed everything.” The father of the younger children shows no interest in being a part of his children’s lives. Mary shakes her head sadly: “All the milestones he’s missing.”

It falls to Mary now to celebrate those milestones such as good marks on a report card or winning a soccer game.

Mary stresses the importance of education to her grandkids encouraging them to earn a college degree. On her meager salary, she can’t afford to pay for university so they will need to do well academically in order to win scholarships.

“I never want to see a D,” she tells the kids. “Forget it’s in the alphabet.”

Mary’s grandchildren face issues such as bedwetting, dyslexia, and attention deficit disorder. Because of these special needs, Mary can not work full-time. She spends most of her time caring for her grandchildren. She works 10 days per month for the U.S. Census, four of those days she spends in the field, and the remaining hours she puts in from home.

Recently Mary was offered a promotion, but had to turn it down because that job would have required her to be away from home too much for her special-needs children.

On top of that, D.C.’s Ward 4 neighborhood, where Mary lives, is becoming more gentrified—a mixed blessing for her family. The streets have become safer for her grandchildren. Mary says there used to be drug dealers on every corner. But as the property values rise, so do Mary’s mortgage payments. With her limited income that creates more of hardship for Mary.

When the Child and Family Services Association placed her grandchildren with her, the social worker introduced Mary to the Georgia Avenue Collaborative. The Collaborative operates in the Ward 4 area to provide support local families.

Georgia Avenue Collaborative offers a variety of products such as soap, laundry detergent, clothing, and shoes to help families in need. “They are things that you need every day,” Mary says. These items help Mary supplement her small income to ensure that her children are clothed.

Once a month Mary also visits MacFarland Middle School for a distribution where she can pick up non-perishable food items, school supplies, and personal hygiene items. Mary even found a pair of tennis shoes for one of her grandsons. “Do you know how much sneakers cost?” she asks as she leans forward in her excitement. Both the Georgia Avenue Collaborative and MacFarland Middle School are able to expand their reach in the community with products provided through World Vision. Through generous contributions by World Vision’s donors, these brand new, quality items are made available to families who have the greatest need.

James Cunningham, Community Resource Director for Georgia Avenue Collaborative appreciates working with World Vision. These supplies might be the first introduction that many parents have to his organization. Once they come in for the supplies, then he and other team members can share about the many programs the organization offers.

He says that without the products that World Vision provides, they would not be able to help nearly as many families. The simplest of things like toilet paper mean so much to families who are not able to make it through to the next paycheck. World Vision recently passed along flashlights to the GAC to distribute in case of power outages.

“Sometimes those of us who are fortunate not to have those issues,” says James, “are amazed at the fact that so many people don’t even have those basic items that they need in their homes to protect themselves and their children.”

Mary has benefitted from the parenting classes she’s taken at Georgia Avenue Collaborative. The environment in which children are raised has changed a lot since she raised her own children. Mary took a teen sexuality class the Collaborative and World Vision offered at World Vision’s D.C. office, to help parents and guardians prepare for some of the hurdles they might face as their children approach adolescence. “Kids face more peer pressure. They're more confused,” says Mary.

Mary appreciates the combined efforts of the Collaborative and World Vision. With the supplies and the training they offer, she can keep up with the demands of raising six grandchildren in today’s changing world.

Mary says, “I’m holding on. I know it won’t be like this forever.” Together the Georgia Avenue Collaborative and World Vision are helping other families weather the storms of life as well.

By Laura Reinhardt
July 2009
Washington, D.C.