Released May 16, 2008

BOZEMAN, Mont. – Grandparents who are raising their grandchildren can find support and new ideas at a June 21 conference in Bozeman.

The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Conference takes place at the Holiday Inn in Bozeman. The event is open to grandparents, social service agency staff and anyone interested in resources, support and issues that face Montanans who are parenting a second time around. Grandparents and others from across Montana are expected to attend.

The conference is hosted by Montana State University Extension, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services and Montana AARP with support from MSU Extended University.

Those who cannot attend the conference are encouraged to learn more about MSU Extension's Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Project, which offers support groups, seminars, newsletters, a listserv and a resource guide for all Montanans. Support groups are currently in Bozeman, Great Falls, Kalispell, Billings, Glendive, Helena, Missoula, Poplar/Wolf Point, Browning, Colstrip, Lewistown, Rocky Boy and Townsend, and more groups can be started for interested communities.

Registration for the conference is $20 per single grandparent or $30 per grandparent couple, and $50 for others. Grandparents can apply for a fee waiver and assistance with travel and lodging. Free childcare is available throughout the conference.

Please register by June 9.

Montana officials estimate that more than 6,000 grandparents are raising their grandchildren, and Montana ranks among the nation's top 10 states seeing an increase in children living in homes headed by grandparents.

Sandra Bailey, MSU Extension family and human development specialist, started the GRG project in 2002. The GRG conferences, support groups and other materials are designed to help grandparents in any situation better understand the resources that are available and the issues that are particular to their parenting situation.

For more information about the GRG Project, visit http://www.montana.edu/wwwhd/grg or call (406) 994-3395.

To request a brochure or to register for the conference, call MSU Extended University at (406) 994-6683 or e-mail ContinuingEd@montana.edu. -30-

http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=5934

Contact: Debbie Albin, (406) 994-6685, shanklin@montana.edu