HARRISBURG, Pa. — Dolorez Cobb-Jones, a former teacher and principal in the Harrisburg and Lancaster school districts, said that she noticed an issue while conducting parent conferences and meeting grandparents who were guardians.
“I started to observe how many of them were just struggling with raising the grandchildren,” said Jones. “Whether it be financially, mentally, physically.”
This matter strikes a chord with Cobb-Jones who assisted her mother in taking care of a child in the family.
She realized that grandparents needed much more support, so she founded GIFTS Inc. (Grandparents Involved from The Start) in 2013.
The non-profit organization provides services, resources and information to help grandparents who are taking care of their grandchildren between the ages of 5 through 18.
According to data from AARP, more than 2.5 million grandparents are responsible for their grandchildren living with them.
AARP said 51.1% of these grandparents are White, 24.2% are African-American; 18.7% are Hispanic/Latino; 2.9% are Asian, 2% are American Indian or Alaskan Native and 0.3% are Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander.
There are about 100 grandparents involved in the GIFTS, according to Cobb-Jones.
“Mainly we are here to support them in whatever way we can,” said Cobb-Jones.
GIFTS services include a food produce giveaway to families every Tuesday from 11 a.m. until 12 p.m. at the Neighborhood Center of the United Methodist Church and a monthly virtual information forum on topics such as mental health, self-care and voting.
GIFTS received a grant from the Greater Harrisburg Community Foundation to set up a support group for grandparents who are legal guardians. During these groups is where grandparents expressed a need for homework assistance to help their grandchildren.
“They were struggling with helping their grandchildren with math particularly and reading,” said Cobb-Jones.
At Central Dauphin School District the organization invited the school’s language arts and math coordinators to explain the services to better aid the students with their homework.
Ultimately, Cobb-Jones said GIFTS has been embraced by the community as they continue to work in Dauphin County including Susquehanna Township, and Steelton-Highspire school districts.
She hopes the organization can grow and reach grandparents nationwide in the future.