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Grandmom Lobbies For Child-Raising Help
By Laura Ernde, San Mateo County Times
October
14, 2005
Shirley Hanscom of San Mateo has spent the better part of her life raising children - first five of her own, and then four of her grandchildren. Now, with the youngest in her senior year of high school, Hanscom is adding a new accomplishment to her repertoire: activist.
Last month Hanscom, 69, traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in a GrandRally of grandparents and other relatives raising children. While there, she lobbied members of Congress to pass laws and fund programs that will help others in her situation. Hanscom was still recovering from a heart attack in 1992 when she discovered that one of her daughters was involved with drugs.
Concerned for the safety of her grandchildren, she took in the two youngest who were 3 and 6 at the time. A few years later, when her daughter went to jail, Hanscom took custody of the older children, both teenagers. As if things couldn't get more difficult for her family, her husband Lee had a massive heart attack and died at age 60, leaving her as the sole caregiver. That was in 1996. "The Lord puts out there what he thinks we can do," she says.
Despite the hardship, Hanscom said she considers herself lucky. She owns a large six-bedroom house that she and her husband bought in 1973, so adequate housing wasn't an issue, as it is for many grandparents raising grandchildren. She's also had a steady income. She retired from AT&T after 30 years as a supervisor in the Treasury Department and continued to work at local banks until her husband died. "I had a little bit to fall back on," she said.
Support
When the going got rough, Hanscom was grateful for the help of a local nonprofit. Edgewood Kinship Support Network runs a support group for caregivers like herself. They also helped her youngest granddaughter, Katrina Jennings, get involved in ice skating through a grant for lessons. "They support the grandparents to make it easier for them to raise these kids," she said. For the past five years, San Mateo County government has contracted with Edgewood, which now serves 328 families, said Danette Mitchell, a county social worker who works exclusively with Kinship.
According to the U.S. Census 2000, there were nearly 5,000 grandparents in the county who were raising their grandchildren. Hanscom feels that God put her on the earth to raise her children and four of her 13 grandchildren. Then, looking skyward, she says, "But don"t get any ideas. I"m done."These days, it's her grandchildren that often find themselves looking out for her, making sure the doors are locked at night and, because she's a diabetic, that her blood sugar doesn't drop too low.
Politically active
She hasn't let her health problems stop her from becoming politically active. During a visit to Washington, D.C., last month, she met with local members of Congress and urged them to vote for legislation supporting grandparents and other relatives raising children. Both the House and Senate are considering legislation that would require notice to relatives when children are placed in foster care and relax regulations to make it easier to place children with relatives. About 1,000 people attended the D.C. rally, she said. Another rally is being planned for Sacramento in January to urge state lawmakers to support grandparent caregivers.
Staff writer Laura Ernde covers San Mateo County government and health issues. She can be reached at (650) 306-2428 or by email at lernde@sanmateocountytimes.com
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