About Us

Our vision is all children having healthy and stable relationships with their grandparents.

All children should be safe and healthy.
All children deserve healthy relationships between themselves and their families, including grandparents, parents, and other relatives.
All children deserve family stability, which is best achieved by keeping children in the homes of grandparents, relatives, and family friends, when parents are unable or unwilling to perform their parental duties.

Nationwide and state-specific advocacy efforts that bring together grandparents, caregivers, and stakeholders in order to work for changes in laws and policies effecting children and kinship caregivers.
Education via our warmline, website, and mentoring programs and via publications and events that empower grandparents and relatives to care for children.
Thought leadership by holding national and state summits that make recommendations for improvements in laws and policies and by advising caregivers, agencies, and the kinship community on emerging issues and best practices.

Our History (PDF)

Our Brochure (PDF)

Board

Anne Strozier (Florida)
President
Florida Kinship Center, University of South Florida School of Social Work

Linette Kinchen (Illinois)
Vice-President
GRANDFamilies Program of Chicago

Peter Kopcha (New York)
Treasurer
Capital Region BOCES, Retired

Adam Belden (New York)
Halliday Financial Group

Adrian Charniak (Illinois)
Trinity Community's Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Group

Beth Finkel (New York)
AARP New York State

Gail Gallagher (Texas)
Grandparents Winning

Charlene Ingram (Maryland)
Atlantic Coast Child Welfare Implementation Center, University of Maryland

Linda James (New York)
SKIP Generations Program, Hillside Family of Agencies

Kerry Littlewood (North Carolina)
East Carolina University School of Social Work

Annie Otto (West Virginia)
GRANDPARENTS/grandchildren, Inc.
Biography

Cassaundra Rainey (Washington, DC)
Child Welfare League of America

Gerard Wallace, Esq.
Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer
(518) 833.0215
Biography

Michelle Bauer
Associate Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer
(518) 833.0215
mbauer@grandparentsforchildren.org
Biography

Kimberly Yerdon
Program Manager
(518) 833.0299
kyerdon@grandparentsforchildren.org
Biography

Allison Marron
Development Coordinator
(518) 833.0215
amarron@grandparentsforchildren.org

John Virdone, Esq.
Counsel

Expenses	2009	2010
Program Service Expenses	$96,533	$107,937
Management and General Expenses	$60,401	$54,794
Fundraising Expenses	$0	$9,691
TOTAL EXPENSES	$156,934	$172,422