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 “What would happen to me if something happens to you?” That question was recently asked by an 8-year-old girl who is being raised by her 81-year-old grandmother in Greenwood County. It is a question commonly asked these days since cases of grandparents raising grandchildren are on the rise. More and more, grandparents are being called on to raise their grandchildren. There are many reasons why this is happening in our society, but the similarity in most cases seems to be that the biological parents can’t or won’t take full responsibility for their children and grandparents are stepping forward to assist. Children come from a variety of situations ranging from divorce or single-parent backgrounds, child abuse, lack of discipline, lack of positive role models, drug abuse in the home, severe economic hardship, parental incarceration, or parental sickness and death. Recent census data shows that in America, the percentage of grandparents raising their grandchildren has risen by 26% in the last decade, and today there are almost 5 million children who are looking to grandparents as mom and dad. This doesn’t include children who are being raised by aunts, uncles, siblings or other relatives. In South Carolina, according to Census 2000 figures, there were 90,866 children living in grandparent-headed households or nine percent of all children in the state, and newer data shows that figure has increased dramatically. Nationally, 2.5 million grandparents reported they were responsible for grandchildren living with them, according to a 2007 survey. Grandparents who are raising their grandchildren face many issues. The communication gap between children and grandparents can be an obstacle. Custody situations can be difficult to resolve. The financial responsibilities can be burdensome with the cost of food, clothing, school supplies, medicine, etc., especially if they are not receiving child support. Also, health issues often cause grandparents to be unable to do all that is necessary to care for their grandchildren. Grandchildren also confront their own challenges in trying to make sense of all they may have experienced in their transition to the care of their grandparents. Grandparents who love their grandchildren and want them to reside with them for as long as possible also know it is important to have options if they must find other living arrangements for their grandchildren. Connie Maxwell recognizes this and can help in those situations where the grandparent just can no longer shoulder this responsibility. Students can live at Connie Maxwell for many years or for a brief time while the family situation improves. Connie Maxwell does not take custody of the child and provides visitation opportunities for grandparents, either through weekend, holiday, summer home visits or on-campus meetings. The cost of placing a child at Connie Maxwell is based on a family’s ability to pay, though payment is not a criterion for placement. Students at Connie Maxwell attend local public schools and participate in Christian education and worship opportunities, and grandparents can be as involved as they want to and are able to be. Anyone interested in finding out more about placing children at Connie Maxwell Children’s Home may contact Joyce Decker, Intake Coordinator, at 864-942-1432. We are here, as we have been for 119-years to help families and children in need.
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