Thursday, November 29, 2007

COMING SOON - KINSHIP GUIDE

So much to learn, so little time. This book production has been a very interesting project. For those of you who have followed the blog - the writing of the book is done! Now we are working with the "typesetter" who will layout the pages and other parts to fit the printed page. Inch by inch, it's a cinch, said my good friend, yard by yard it's hard. Well I'm not sure whether we are taking this by inches now or by yards, but it certainly has been a long haul. The newest time frame is to get the book into bookstores and into your hands by mid-January or sooner. The official title is - A Kinship Guide to Rescuing Children, for Grandparents and Other Relatives As Parents. It will be about 180 pages, softcover, with a fantastic cover photo. The retail price is $16.95. ISBN: (The new 13-digit) 978-0-9801352-0-6 by Chicago Road Publishing.
As we mentioned in an earlier blog, this is not a book on how to parent, but rather a guide to getting through all those public systems that kinship caregivers face - legal, social services, schools, therapy, community services. In other words, how to advocate for your new family in the sometimes intimidating and usually exhausting world out there. We also have chapters on the importance of making a will, being aware for children in this new electronic world, finding resources, getting money for the future, and having fun.
The third section is a book within the book on how to get together with other kinship care providers in your community and how to actually start a full-service kinship resource center.
The final section is a full list of resources including lead organizations in each state that help to establish services for kinship care families.
The approach of the book speaks directly to kinship families in a casual yet, hopefully, informative manner. The academics are kept to a minimum. There are stories from case situations to enhance each chapter. Several professionals that work in the field of social services or law have also expressed an interest in the book.
Anyone with comments about the kinship care book or this blog can comment here or drop a note to CRP, P.O. Box 1073, Okemos, MI 48805.

Friday, November 2, 2007

Edward James Olmos, Jamie Foxx, and others

As I was searching for celebrity relatives who were raised by grandparents or other non-parent relatives, I found very little. Generations United, www.gu.org had a very nice listing of a few folks. One with a comment by Edward James Olmos, who was raised by greatgrandparents, struck me as true appreciation for the unheralded kinship care families:

Edward James Olmos- Actor "I was very fortunate. I was raised by my great-grandfather and my great-grandmother. And great-grandparents are exactly that: great, grand parents. And I must tell you, that was probably the single most important aspect of my life."

Thank you, sir, for that honor to your folks. I am looking for more examples. If you know of celebrity or well known sports or business people who were raised by non-parent relatives please contact me, Helene (Tita) kincare@comcast.net . There is more to share with you, so check back here in a day or so.

In peace,
Tita