Grandmothers_table

Jeff Green | Feb 05, 2009

Last year, when Northbrook realtor Chris Winney read in the Frontenac News about the financial and emotional difficulties that grandparents caring for their grandchildren were enduring, she determined to form a support group in her area.

As a grandmother and a former high school teacher, Chris could empathize with those difficulties. She contacted a friend & fellow grandmother, Eleanor Belfry-Lyttle, with her idea and received an enthusiastic response.

At first, one of the ideas that Chris envisioned for the group was a cook-in. “You know how grandmothers always feel they need to be productive. I thought they could make a meal to take home to their families – so they wouldn’t feel guilty taking time to attend the meeting,” she said humorously. “But it didn’t turn out that way.”

The group had its first meeting in January and no one felt the need to cook – or felt guilty at all about having a good time networking with other grandmothers. “We’re just going to let the group lead the way and we’ll try to meet the needs that are expressed,” says Chris. “So many of us are grandmothers now and we have a whole lot of energy – we have a lot more clout than we think. As a group, we can make things happen!”

Although it was the impetus behind the original idea, the group is not only for grandmothers who are raising their grandchildren themselves. ALL grandmothers are invited to be part of this new support group “to share their grand-parenting experiences and stories; to laugh, cry & learn together and help each other to better understand and care for their grandchildren”. 

Please join the group at GRANDMOTHER'S TABLE on the second Tuesday of each month from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. at the Community Access Building, Lower Level, 1234 Hwy 41, Northbrook (next to the LCBO). The next meeting will be on February 10. Contact Eleanor (613-336-1506) or Chris (613-336-1737) for more information.