Grandparents fill our hearts with joy and offer wisdom, memories and a familial bond unlike any other.

It’s only natural that we – as children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren – want to honour them.

The Social and Health Services – Community Health department made sure community members had a chance to honour their beloved grandparents during a delicious and memorable supper and social at the community centre on September 13.

About 50 people came out to enjoy a yummy dinner of ham, scalloped potatoes, steamed vegetables, pickles and cheese and a berry-infused jello dessert, catered by Harv King, before grandparents and family members worked on making tied blankets.

Kids were laughing and grandparents were smiling while Community Health played a slideshow talking about the important role grandparents play in families’ lives.

Grandparents provide important social, psychological, financial and spiritual benefits, according to

Some important notes about grandparents:

  • Research shows that as many as 9 out of 10 adult grandchildren feel their grandparents influenced their values and behavior
  • Grandparents reduce stress in the household
  • A study at Boston College found that “an emotionally close relationship between grandparent and grandchild is associated with fewer symptoms of depression from both generations”
  • Grandparents are the first to offer the most affordable child care on the market
  • 63% of grandparents say they can do a better job caring for grandchildren than they did their own
  • Grandparent-grandchild relationship’s shape a child’s perspective of what “normal” relationships are like, through a sense of emotional closeness, regular contact, and social support, children can understand what a truly positive relationship looks like and feels like
  • Grandparents provide a sense of safety and protection
  • Having an extra layer of social support can make a big difference in a child’s life, especially during difficult times
  • Grandparents offer a link to a child’s cultural heritage and family history
  • A child understands more of where they came from and who they are through their connection to their grandparents
  • Grandparents are companion to play with and explore with (and vice versa!)
  • There is no one better and willing to explore the vast realms of imagination and creativity than a grandparent!

Thanks to the staff at Social and Health Services – Community Health Unit, grandchildren and grandparents had a chance to re-affirm their special bonds.

The staff who helped put on the event were: Leslie Sault (organizer), Beth King, Janice Mt. Pleasant and Laura-Lee Kelly.