RE. 'FACS IN NEED OF SUMMER VOLUNTEERS, JULY 13 ISSUE:

I actually found it to be quite amusing that the impregnable Family and Children's Services are now looking for help when they, themselves, should be in a position to provide it. Now that shoe appears to be on the other foot, considering the cries for help from organizations such as Second Chance for Kids, and Grandparents Raising Grandchildren have all been ignored.

Mary Ann Chambers, Minister of Children's Services, had promised all of us help through a new policy giving grandparents caring for grandchildren up to $900 a month for those that qualify. It's been seven months since the introduction of this new policy. To my knowledge, no grandparents raising their grandchildren, prior to its introduction date, are qualified to receive it, or are receiving these benefits after the date of introduction. Why does this seem to be nothing more than a cruel political hoax or smokescreen?

FACs' Susan Szabo states that their present volunteers don't have the time to give because their children and grandchildren are out of school and they must take care of them, and of course, they too are entitled to a vacation -- and is very much deserved, I might add. But what about our grandparents raising 1, 2, 3, 4-plus grandchildren, 24 hours a day, seven days a week? Are they not just as deserving?

We have been raising our grandchildren for a number of years, with little or no help, financially, from the government. Respite is only a luxury we can dream about!

We too, have volunteered, and there are approximately 57,000 grandparents raising their grandchildren across the provinces. The majority of these seniors are on fixed incomes. Yes, this was our choice, only because we were aware of a system that knowingly does not work and is in desperate need of changes. But what we didn't expect is to be raped of our finances and dignity by our present government.

We, as seniors, have paid billions of dollars in taxes over the years and as grandparents have saved the government billions of dollars as opposed to putting our children into foster care. The cries for help from our grandchildren have fallen on deaf ears.

Grandparents have been used and are considered nothing but a cost saving tool for our present government.

Terry Hrankowski

St. Catharines