WHO IS FIGHTING FOR OUR GRANDPARENTS RIGHTS?

It is comforting to all of us Grandparents to realize that there are great minds going to great lengths to progress our Grandparent’s Rights.  People like Michigan attorney Richard S. Victor have dedicated decades to the legal and legislative fight for grandparent rights.  He even formed the GRO, Grandparents Rights Organization in 1984.  Their web site is www.Grandparentsrights.org.

Richard says it better than I ever could;

The Grandparents Rights Organization is a national volunteer nonprofit organization founded in 1984 by founder and executive director, attorney Richard S. Victor. It has been qualified as tax-exempt organization under section 501 (a) of the Internal Revenue Code as an organization described in section 501 (c) (3). Its purpose is to educate and support grandparents and grandchildren and to advocate their desire to continue a relationship that may be threatened with loss of contact or amputation, usually following: family acrimony; a child being born out of wedlock; the death of one of the child’s parents or the divorce of the grandchild’s parents.

The very first quote in my book “NO GREATER LOSS” is from Mr. Victor;  “Remember, if death takes a grandparent from a grandchild, that is a tragedy, but if petty vindictiveness and hostilities within a family amputate a grandchild from their grandparents, then that is a shame”.

It is important to realize that Mr. Victor made it his mission to look out for the best interest of the grandchildren by fighting for the continuity of the extended family.  The implications and benefits of his work are evident  in the fact that all 50 states now have some form of Grandparent Rights law.  Just stop and think of where we would be without his efforts.

In 1984 Grandparents didn’t even have what is called Standing (The legal term is locus standi; this is the term for the ability of a party to demonstrate to the court sufficient connection to and harm from the law or action challenged to support that party’s participation in the case.) In other words we didn’t have a voice in the courts.  This provided grandparents with a huge step forward in preserving the ties to their grandkids.

He has testified in front of Senate committees, been on Oprah, The Today show, CNN, Fox, CNBC.  The list goes on.  However he finds time to be a Good Grandfather to his grandchildren and the keyboard sounds of his Jazz band.

Rather than my going on and on about Richard, his excellence in the law and his work I would encourage you to spend some time looking over the GRO web site.  You will come to know just what an effort was advanced on behalf of each of us that are grandparents and especially our grandchildren.  You will even be treated to some really neat Jazz Music.

My response to all that Mr. Victor has done is to offer him a heartfelt Thanks and to do my part in keeping  the awareness heightened about the need for grandparents in their grandchildren’s lives.  I also hope to convey that we have a long way to go.

My hope for each of you is Great-Grandparenting.  NEIL