At the age of 60 – while sitting on the bleachers of my son’s high school soccer field – I was struck by a bolt of lightning, knocked unconscious and set on fire. Six months later, I became a grandfather for the first time. Within eight months, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Those three connecting events became my catalyst for creating and developing my current encore activities.
Because of wanting to live a healthy life to see my grandchildren grow up, and because I wanted to offer them an enriching legacy of family culture, I began researching the statistics and stories of American grandparents - 42-million in the United States and 10,000 new grandparents each day. I discovered a substantial and frightening percentage of diabetics in the U.S. are grandparents. I learned that many of the grandparents are saddened, frustrated, and fearful that many of their grandchildren aren’t interested in their family legacies and traditions.
Having had a 36-year career as an Arts and Culture Education Specialist working with disadvantaged, disabled, and dying populations (primarily children and teens), I am currently focusing my Encore activity on designing programs such as THE GRANDPARENT radio show for presenting and discussing the diverse joys, difficulties, triumphs and challenges of a grandparent-grandchild relationship; producing theatrical performances on the relationships between grandparents and grandchildren; creating Italian-American arts and media presentations to help grandparents and grandchildren share rich legacies of their cultural traditions and family histories; and helping the 56% of America’s grandparents who are raising their grandchildren because of the social ills afflicting their adult children.
The programs for grandparents we are creating – with the talents and skills of many others including youths, social workers, performing and creative artists, educators, social-ethnic organizations – will grow in both quantity and quality for a population of elderly family members who both need and deserve to enjoy public and private recognitions, celebrations, entertainment, culture, education and enriching relationships with their grandchildren.
People see life in many new dimensions when they first become grandparents and with the birth, aging, stepping stones, achievements and challenges of each of their grandchildren. Grandparents are valuable towards the wellness and happiness of their grandchildren. In turn, the grandparent/grandchild relationship is enhanced by making each grandparent feel valuable.