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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">September
23, 2009</span><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">; FOR
IMMEDIATE
RELEASE</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">CONTACT:<span
style=""> </span>Candy Eaton, Program Director<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"
style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;"
align="center"><b style=""><span
style="font-size: 4pt; font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"
style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;"
align="center"><b style=""><span
style="font-size: 16pt; font-family: "Gill Sans Ultra Bold","sans-serif";">“Relatives
as Parents SUPPORT Group”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<div align="justify"><font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span
style="font-size: 11pt;">The Hancock County Children’s
Council wants to remind you that the next meeting of our Relatives As
Parents
Support Group will be held on Tuesday, October 13, 2009, from 6:00pm to
8:00pm
and will feature guest speaker </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Jan
Bisbee, Maine Kids-Kin Family Services Advocate, speaking about
resources available to kinship families.<span style="">
</span>Bring your questions!<o:p></o:p></span>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Are
you one of the
following types of grandparent caregivers?<o:p></o:p></span>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Symbol;"><span style=""> ·<span
style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Custodial
grandparents have legal custody of their grandchildren; they provide
daily care
and decision-making tasks.<span style=""> </span>The focus on this
type of care-giving is on the grandchild and providing them with a
sense of
security.<o:p></o:p></span>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Symbol;"><span style=""> ·<span
style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">“Living with”
grandparents provide daily care for their grandchildren, but do not
have legal
custody.<span style=""> </span>The child’s parent may or may
not live in the home.<span style=""> </span>These grandparents
focus on providing an economically and emotionally stable environment
for the
child, and often on helping the parent.<span style="">
</span>Because the grandparent does not possess legal custody, he or
she has no
way of protecting the child from an unsuitable or dangerous parent.<o:p></o:p></span>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Symbol;"><span style=""> ·<span
style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">“Day care”
grandparents focus on helping the child’s parent and on fulfilling
their own
needs.<span style=""> </span>These grandparents tend to be the
least affected by their caretaking role because the children return
home at the
end of the day.<span style=""> </span>They function closest to
the societal definition of “grandparent”.<a moz-do-not-send="true"
style="" href="#_edn1" name="_ednref1" title=""><span
class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span
class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">[i]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">If
you are a </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">grandparent, aunt,
uncle,
sibling, cousin or good friend of the family caring for a relative’s
child or
working toward that goal, y</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">ou are
invited
to join our “Relatives as Parents” facilitated support group
conveniently
located in Ellsworth at the Downeast Health Services office, 52
Christian Ridge
Road on the second Tuesday of each month.<span style="">
</span>If you are interested in participating in this FREE mutual
support
group, contact Candy Eaton at 667-5304 ext. 261.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Hancock County
Children’s Council, a program of Downeast Health Services Inc., in
partnership
with <i style="">Maine Kids-Kin, </i>seeks to support
families who are raising their relatives’ children in Hancock County.<span
style=""> </span>Many families have recently undertaken the
unexpected responsibility of caring for a relative’s child. <span
style=""> </span>In Maine, over 11,000 children with their
grandparents, aunts, uncles, or with another relative who are not their
parents. Even so, many relatives feel they are in this alone.<span
style=""> </span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">These
relatives’ lives are complicated, yet they are
experienced parents and bring history and past lessons to a new
relationship
with their relatives’ children.<span style=""> </span>Throughout
Hancock County, there are others who share many similar experiences and
feelings.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>To learn more
about Maine Kids-Kin and its
services, visit <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.mainekids-kin.org">www.mainekids-kin.org</a>
or call 1-866-298-0896.<o:p></o:p></span>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span
style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
Hancock County
Children’s Council collaborates with many local partners to strengthen
Maine’s
families.<span style=""> </span>Please call 667-5304 ext. 261,
email <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:children@downeasthealth.org">children@downeasthealth.org</a>
or visit our website at <span style="color: black;"><a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.downeasthealth.org">www.downeasthealth.org</a>
</span>for
additional information on parenting classes, child development and
family
resources available in Hancock County.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span
style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> <small><font
color="#3333ff"><o:p></o:p></font></small></span><small><font
color="#3333ff">
</font></small></font><!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]--><!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]--><!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]--><br>
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<small><font color="#3333ff" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><i><span
style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: blue;">Candy
Eaton, Program Director<br>
Hancock County Children's Council, a program of Downeast Health
Services Inc.<br>
<st1:address w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on">52 Christian Ridge Road</st1:Street>,
<st1:City w:st="on">Ellsworth</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">ME</st1:State>
<st1:PostalCode w:st="on">04605</st1:PostalCode></st1:address><o:p></o:p></span></i>
<br>
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: blue;">207-667-5304,
ext. 261; </span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:children@downeasthealth.org"><i>children@downeasthealth.org</i></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></small>
<div style=""><!--[if !supportEndnotes]--><br clear="all">
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%">
<!--[endif]-->
<div style="" id="edn1">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><small><a moz-do-not-send="true" style=""
href="#_ednref1" name="_edn1" title=""><span
class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span
style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span
class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">[i]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><i
style=""><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Family
Issues</span></i></small><span
style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><small>, University of
Maine Cooperative Extension, Volume 8, No. 2, 1999 (Kleiner, H.S.,
Hertzog, J.,
& Targ, D.B. (1998). Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: A Resource
Guide
for Professionals.<span style=""> </span>ParentLink,
University Outreach and Extension, University of <span style=""> </span>Missouri-Columbia).</small><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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