- So recently, I found out about a program
that combines three things I absolutely love.
Reading, fostering, and grandparents.
- Aw!
- Senior Core is an organization where seniors serve
as foster parents in classrooms in underserved communities.
Joining me now, are three of those grandparents.
Grandma Pat, Karen, and Delores.
Give it up for them, y'all!
(audience cheers)
Oh my gosh.
I'm so, how did y'all become,
I'll start with you, Grandma Pat.
How did you become a grandma foster parent?
How did that happen?
- It was not by choice, honey!
(laughter)
I'll tell you that.
I was sitting at home, on my sofa, minding my business.
Doing me.
For five years.
And this little lady came to me,
"Grandma, I got something for you to do!"
I said, "What?"
This is my sister talking,
"I got a place that I want you to go with me."
And I came to the place with her.
And they said, "Do you wanna be a foster grandparent?"
I said, "I am! For 11 times, I've been a foster grandma!"
"But we wanted to know, do you wanna work
with foster grandparent's kids?"
So I said yeah.
So after three years, I am now officially a grandma.
And I am now a foster grandma.
- And can I just point out, I don't know if we can zoom in,
but your earrings, you are so punk rock right now!
(laughter)
She's got earrings all the way up the side of her ear!
All right!
- And on each side!
- I'm like, that's so punk rock!
I just pictured you at like, 21.
- [Karen] I was a beautician and they wanted to perm
my hair, they wanted to cut my hair.
I said, "Leave my hair alone
and just put another hole in my ear."
(laughter)
- [Kelly] So explain to me like, so my mom's a teacher,
and boy, she could have used the help in the classroom,
but what do y'all do in the classrooms?
Like, what is your purpose and role?
- We work with the kids, assist the kids with their work,
with their homework, do other things for them.
They go on the playground and get played with.
We play games with them, they love that.
They play games inside with ya, and they just love all this.
We do all that for them.
- I love it!
(applause)
Well, Grandma Karen, I heard Grandma Karen,
you had a funny interaction with the parent.
- Yes, I was in the store, and the little child came up
and said, "Grandma Karen! Come here! Come here!
Give me a hug!"
And the parents looked at me like,
"Who is my child hugging? I don't even know her!"
And I turned around and said,
"I am her foster grandma at school."
- [Mario] Aw, I wanna hug her!
- I know, I know!
(applause)
It's so sweet!
- [Karen] I watch you on Dancing with the Stars, I love you!
- [Mario] Oh thank you!
I appreciate it.
(audience cheers)
- No, I'm hugging Grandma Dolores
(audience clapping and laughing)
- I think it's a very beautiful thing
- Well, I'm so close to my grandma,
so that makes me wanna just hug ya'll.
- [Kelly] It makes me jealous,
I didn't grow up with grandparents!
So like, I-
- [Mario] Oh, wow!
- I mean, it's not a sad thing, I just didn't.
Like, they had all passed away before.
- [Mario] No, they're so special!
- I just think it's an amazing thing you do,
and such a different role you represent!
The experience in your life,
and the way that you're probably more patient
than people in their 30's.
- [Pat] Yeah.
- Who all agrees that grandma's food is the best food ever?
(all cheer)
Grandma's food is the best!
Because grandmas are not in a rush!
- [Kelly] They take their time!
- They take their time making food.
- [Kelly] They marinate it, just right.
- Make amazing tapioca, and
(laughter)
- [Kelly] That's my husband's favorite
- For the sister's over here, I'm sure it's banana pudding,
but, banana pudding, tapioca for you I'm sure. Tapioca?
(laughter)
- Made with love.
- But we do have Doctor Shanetta Milton,
was once a foster grandchild and now,
she's the director of the Foster Grandparent Program
at Pepperdine, she's here with us in the audience.
Thank you so much for being here.
(audience cheering)
- [Kelly] So I think it's amazing,
like it's almost how I feel on "The Voice",
I've been there, in their shoes,
so it's nice to be able to say that to them.
And you've been there, in their shoes.
So what made you-
- I have a lot to take back going back to that earlier song.
I was a troubled child.
I was just into conduct, behavior problems.
I had low self-esteem, just a lot going on,
and I had a foster grandparent at my elementary school
Ms. Wilson, and she was amazing.
She made us feel safe.
Most importantly, she encouraged us, she told us
we were more than our circumstances.
So this is full circle for me, and I'm sure that
if I didn't have foster grandparents, like them,
I would not be who I am today.
So I'm very thankful.
(clapping)
- I think that is beautiful.
We found some very eager individuals
who had this to say about them.
Take a look.
- Hi. - Hi.
- Hey Grandma Karen.
- Hi Grandma Pat.
- Thanks for being so nice to me
and all the other little kids.
- For taking me outside and playing with me.
- I like when you can visit me.
- Thanks Grandma Karen, for helping make learning fun.
- For helping me with math and spelling.
- Thank you for reading with me.
- I love when you come to read to us.
- Thank you for all the hugs.
- It makes me feel happy when I visit.
- Thanks Grandma Karen.
- I love you, Grandma Pat.
- [ Kids] Thank you.
(clapping)
- Oh my God.
- I'm crying with you, and I don't even know them.
- Oh my God.
- I know, if you need a tissue, we'll have it run out here,
Grandma Pat.
That is the sweetest thing ever,
but it's not only about the kids.
These foster grandmas also provide amazing support
to teachers in the class room.
I'm still recovering from the kids, sorry.
Grandma Dolores, there is one teacher actually,
who wanted to say thank you.
So come on out here, Sherry.
(audience cheering)
- [Kelly] Yeah!
How are you?
Come on out here. You look beautiful.
Oh I'm still crying.
(audience cheering)
- Oh my gosh.
You see, there's so much, socially speaking,
social climate wise, there's so much crap going on,
this is what life should be about.
(audience cheering)
Have a seat, come on over here.
You take my seat.
I'm gonna be by you.
You take my seat.
- We got plenty of space over here.
- I'm gonna sit with her.
Dolores, you come right back on over here.
Here we go.
I'll share my seat.
Watch this.
Girl, I got a big behind.
I can't fit.
But so, how do you know Grandma Dolores?
- It was love at first sight with Grandma Dolores.
When she came in my room, it wasn't a co-worker,
it wasn't a foster grandparent coming in to help me,
She was my mom.
I look at her like she was my mom.
- Okay
- She's just a blessing,
and the blessing with Grandma Dolores is
she took care of the kids,
but I was a little messed up myself.
I was going through something.
I lost my sister and it will be three years, September 2nd.
And she was there for me.
She held my hand.
She talked to me.
She helped me with my kids
and the day which makes it even more special is that,
it's the 14th anniversary for Hurricane Katrina
and just seeing her, just seeing Grandma Dolores, you guys.
I love her.
She's everything.
(clapping)
She's my surrogate mother.
- Well, but at the same time, with Sherry
what did you experience?
Like being in her classroom, like with the kids?
How is it to work with her?
- It was beautiful.
She's the most beautiful person to work with.
And the kids were sweet, very sweet.
I get joy out of doing it and they were happy.
And it was just great.
- You know, and it's interesting that you said something
that the kids, no matter if it's positive or negative,
I've notice before, whatever you say to them,
they'll believe it.
- [Ladies] Yes.
- You know what I'm saying?
So if you keep saying mean, negative things to them,
eventually they're going to believe that they're that.
But if you keep promoting and you keep sending them up,
lifting them up and doing really positive things to them,
they'll believe that too.
That's a really cool thing about kids,
they're willing to lean in to that.
I just think it's a beautiful thing, what you all are doing.
My mama was a teacher, and she could've used the help.