Grand Love provides support to grandparents raising grandchildren. (Courtesy Grand Love)
Following 18 months of being empty nesters, long-time Prosper residents Lena and Ray Smith found themselves raising their two grandsons.
Although flung into this unexpected life twist, the couple were determined to make the best of their situation. While scrolling through posts on a social media group for grandparents raising grandchildren, Lena Smith was struck by the desperation exhibited by multiple grandparents. For example, one grandmother needed $125 to send her grandson to a football camp and money to buy football cleats.
“[The grandmother wrote in her post], ‘I don't have that kind of money. I literally live on Social Security. I'm disabled,” Lena Smith said. “I immediately private messaged her and said ... ‘I will pay for all of it.’ She was the beginning of Grand Love.”
Who it’s for
The Smiths launched Grand Love, a Prosper nonprofit, in 2022.
"Grand Love’s mission is to create an awareness of the epidemic of grandparents raising grandchildren, to offer programs to help enrich these grandchildren's lives, and to come along beside these grandparents and put our arm around them and help them financially with the extra expenses of raising these children,” Lena Smith said.
Grand Love assists grandparents who live in Texas and make $1,400 a month or less. A screening process is in place to verify the grandparent is legally raising at least one grandchild.
“We’re adamant about doing our due diligence,” Lena Smith said. “If you're giving us even $50 or $100—we want to be good stewards of that. We want you to feel good about giving us that money and know it's going to those grandparents.”
Regarding the “epidemic of grandparents raising grandchildren”, Lena Smith said in Texas there are currently over 266,000 grandparents raising grandkids today, and almost 24% of those fall below the poverty line. A variety of reasons lead to this family dynamic including the opioid epidemic, incarceration and military deployment.
“If you take on a foster child, you get $900 a month to help with that child. If you take on a kinship—niece, nephew, grandchild—you get nothing," Lena Smith said. "There is no financial assistance.”
The setup
Once approved as a Grand Family, continual programs are available including:
Grand arts: grandchildren can explore creativity through free or reduced-price after-school classes.
Grand summers: grandchildren can attend educational and Christian summer camps through free or reduced price partnerships with local camps.
Backpacks with love: grandparents are given the opportunity to choose school items from Amazon totaling $125.
Grand Arts is a Grand Love program that assists in paying for after school classes. (Courtesy Grand Love)
Additional programs pertain to community college scholarships, Christmas wish lists and professional services including medical and legal.
Get involved
Grand Love currently serves 200 Grand Families throughout Texas. Lena Smith said they need volunteer case managers and grant writers. She said financial donations are always appreciated.
Throughout the year, a variety of fundraisers are held including monthly bingo nights and Breakfast with Santa.
The backstory
The Smith’s middle son, who is a drug addict and alcoholic, is the father of both grandsons the sexagenerians are raising. Child Protective Services knocked on their door four years apart delivering two children from two different mothers who had been incarcerated and named the Smith’s as the grandparents.
“I remember being sad and frustrated, because it's not what I wanted to do. I didn't want to start all over again raising kids,” Lena Smith said. “But I also remember praying, and God telling me, ‘I need you to embrace the season I have you in.’ So I did. I embraced the season, and I became the best Pinterest mom in the world.”
