10th Annual Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Conference
"ORGANIZING FOR SUCCESS"

The 10h Annual Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Conference will be held on Friday, May 9, from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn South (Airline at I-12). Grandparents and Louisiana Relatives as Parents (LaRAPP) from across the state are invited to attend. Registration begins at 7:30am.

The conference is free for grandparents and other caregivers raising relatives. The fee is $10 for all other participants. All participants must register by April 27 to receive a t-shirt and lunch. To register, please call 225-357-0608 or email lagrparinfo@yahoo.com or register using the form available on the website at www.grgicl.org.

This year’s theme is "Organizing for Success." WAFB-TV Channel 9 Anchorwoman Donna Britt is the Mistress of Ceremony. The Keynote speaker is Jack Levine, Founder of 4Generations Institute. He is a communications and public policy consultant and previously served as president of Voices for Florida's Children for twenty-five years, and is an advisor for The Family Institute of the College of Human Sciences at Florida State University and the University of Florida's College of law. Jack shares information, provides inspiration and leverages advocate enthusiasm in the direction of public policy action. Jack's presentation will be informative, uplifting and entertaining for the grandparents and other Louisiana Relatives as Parents (LaRAPP).

This year’s conference will focus on teaching grandparents and other relatives how to advocate for themselves and the children in their care. We are encouraging the formation of support groups state-wide. We also want to provide grandparents with up-to-date resources, promote recreation in their lives, and encourage them to have occasional time away from their children, so they can maintain their health and relax.

Workshops Include:

• Legal Panel — addressing legal questions coordinated by Attorney Jane Thomas, Governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs
• Taking Care of Ourselves-so that we can take care of others — Jack Levine, 4Generations Institute, Advocacy Resources
• The Color of Money — financial management — Laura Lea Perault, LSU AgCenter
• Working Out School Issues — panel with parish school personnel coordinated by Barbara Varmall
• Taking Advantage of Kinship Care Subsidy — Pam Rosette, Office of Family Services, Department of Social Services
• Building the Village: Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and Other Relatives through Boys Town’s Family Centered Services — Dennis W. Dillon, Ph.D., Levillia Harleaux-Moore, GSW, Tabatha Corley, BSW
• Grandparents to the Rescue — Gary Mire, LPB,
• Support Groups Statewide Sharing — Panel of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Senator Sharon Weston Broome will lead a Public Policy Session with government officials and grandparents raising grandchildren representatives to discuss legal challenges the grandparents face and how improvements can be made.

Grandparents and others raising relatives children will also have an opportunity to pose questions about the legal process with a team of lawyers during a panel discussion led by Ms. Jane Thomas, Attorney, Legal Services Developer, Governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs.

The Premier sponsor for the conference is the Louisiana Children's Trust Fund. Other sponsors include: The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Information Center of Louisiana, the Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs, Louisiana Relatives as Parents Program (LaRAPP), Office of Community Service, Catholic Community Services, Senator Sharon Weston Broome, LSU Ag Center, Urban Restoration, Downtown Kiwanis, Mrs. D. Normand’s Writing Class and others.