By ARLENE NICHOLS
The Aldine Harris County Chapter of Grandparents raising Grandchildren held their fourth annual conference this week at the M. O. Campbell Educational Building on Aldine Bender. Attendees began the morning with greetings from Dr. Wanda Bamberg, Aldine ISD Superintendent and a tribute to Grandparents sung by Sidney Reed, granddaughter of the groups President Mrs. Shirley Reed.
State Representative Kevin Bailey addressed the gathering saying,
Grandparents who take on the rewarding but challenging role of raising a child help assure that thousands of Houston-area young people receive the care they need. The Aldine Harris County Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Group plays a vital role in helping these families stay together and prosper by providing vital information to the Grandparents.
Texas ranks second among the fifty states in the number of households with more than 250,000 grandparents raising grandchildren. Frequently the custody arrangements with parents are informal leaving the grandparents with many legal challenges when they try to access needed educational, medical and mental health services for the children.
The annual conference offered events for both adults and children featuring numerous professionals and public-service officials presenting workshops on a wide variety of topics. The group sessions for adults included discussions on legal issues, social service and well-ness programs, Social Security and Medicare benefits. The childrens sessions included topics ranging from Who Am I and Whats My Name? to Man, This School is a Drag and Breaking the Cycle.
The level of participation by local Grandparents, the school district and government agencies was overwhelming. We received an impressive amount of information from the speakers at the breakout sessions, said President Shirley Reed. It was particularly gratifying to see the level of participation by teenagers in the group discussions led by Mr. Dalbert Galloway.
Among the other speakers was Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee. Reed said that Jackson-Lee spoke eloquently about the role of grandparents and she appreciated her attendance,
Local sponsors for the event included North Houston Bank, area businessman Steve Mead, Harris County Area Agency on Aging, Amerigroup, Evercare, and Jackson-Lee. Teachers from Hinojosa EC/PK and Head Start Center provided considerable support for the event.