High Desert Relative Caregivers

 DO YOU KNOW A RELATIVE CAREGIVER? ARE YOU A RELATIVE CAREGIVER?

Relative Caregivers are raising the child or children of one or more of their relatives:

GRANDMOTHERS - GRANDFATHERS - AUNTS - UNCLES - COUSINS - OLDER SIBLINGS

The 2000 U.S. Census showed more than 3,200 grandparents in the High Desert of California were raising their grandchildren on their own

High Desert Relative Caregivers (HDRC), an outreach ministry of Victorville United Methodist Church, continues its kinship family support and education program. Minor children whose parents are unable to care for them due to death, drug abuse, incarceration or neglect become members of kinship families often headed by their grandparents.

High Desert Relative Caregivers (HDRC) reaches as many area kinship families as possible with resource information, support groups, educational classes, activity groups for the children and teens and events to promote healthy families with a hopeful future.

The grants for the 2007-2008 fiscal year, from the state of California’s Kinship Support Services Program through San Bernardino County’s Department of Children's Services, The Willmas Charitable Trust Fund at The Community Foundation Serving Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, and Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church gave HDRC it's unique flavor, a blending of supportive, educational, and recreational events at a safe and secure facility where kinship families find friendship and renewed hope.

The Victorville program began in February, 2005 with eight participants coming out on a rainy winter night to see what HDRC was all about. Until that night the closest similar program for kinship families was located in San Bernardino, an impossible distance for some families. Support group sessions, parenting classes, and activity groups have been held two Friday evenings a month in Victorville during the school year with weekly Friday night sessions during the Summer of 2006.

More than 350 adults and children have participated, with a typical meeting night having 20-25 adult relative caregivers in support group session and 45-60 children and teens in activity groups at the same time. A partnership with Victor Valley College’s Foster/Kinship Care Education (FKCE) program during the traditional school year brings a variety of speakers and educational information to these caregivers. Adelanto Elementary School District and FKCE together with HDRC present Love & Logic Parenting Class sessions four times a year minimum, daytime and evening classes available. A spirit of teamwork and camaraderie has been built up among the participants and the staff and newcomers are quickly assimilated into the group.

The first Friday evening of the month, support group sessions are held; all children and teens have Activity Groups at the same time.  

The third Friday evening of the month, Parenting Classes offer a wide variety of topics of interest to kinship caregivers: raising children with Attention Deficit Disorder, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Bi-racial families, Nutrition and  savings at the grocery store, Legal issues, and others. Caregivers are encouraged to ask for subjects that relate to their situation.

During the summer months, HDRC meets every Friday night from 7pm-9pm with activities for caregivers and for all other members of the family.

For further information, contact the group at (760) 843-1953 or at 15150 La Paz Drive, Victorville CA 92395