Grands Flourish will hold its Grand Connections Conference, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, this Sunday, November 17 at the Wyndham Providence Airport Hotel. Registration for this conference starts at 10 a.m. and the event will end at 4 p.m. with a special “Grandparents Giveaway.” During this giveaway, grandparents can win prizes like dinner certificates, movie tickets, and even pamper sessions.

There is no cost to the conference but donations are welcome. 

Grands Flourish is non-profit association that focuses on supporting grandparents and grandchildren impacted by substance abuse disorder. The group also provides programs such as “A Grand Space Workshop” where grandparents can engage in eight sessions of peer support and develop success tools, and “Superhero Home Helpers” where volunteers help grandparents with tasks around the house like assembling beds for children or helping mow the lawn.

Founder of Grands Flourish, Magdalena Andreozzi, started this organization in 2015 to provide support for the 13,000 children and grandparents or “grand-families” across Rhode Island who are impacted by the opioid epidemic.

Additionally, on October 17 Andreozzi was given the Public Health Champion award from Brown University for new innovative programming in Rhode Island. Andreozzi said, “It’s amazing, I’m finding out that when you step out of your comfort zone and help others, it comes back around and shows up in impactful ways.”

Within the past year, Grands Flourish has helped to provide support for over 300 families in need by supplying them with housing, peer-support, food, and money toward attorney fees. Funding for this organization is made possible by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Grand Flourish’s mission is that that through program engagement, they can inspire and empower grandparents with resources to be successful as caregivers.

Grandparents and grandkids affected by the opioid crisis are encouraged to attend this event full of guest speakers and helpful workshops in order to address that they aren’t alone in their fight against drug abuse.

Speakers at this conference include Andreozzi, as well as; Senior Advisor to the Governor, Tom Coderre, Rhode Island State Liaison for Grandparents and board member of Grands Flourish, Lori Dorsey, Office of the Governor Policy Advisor, Ryan Erickson, President and CEO of CODAC Behavioral Healthcare, Linda Hurley, Director of Treatment Navigation for the Herren Project, Kristin Young, licensed Chemical Dependency Professional, Erin Albanese and Certified Peer Support Worker Cody Manthei.

Together with sponsors like SAMHSA, AARP, CODAC and the Family Service of Rhode Island, this conference will help to encourage “grand-families” to keep battling against drug abuse.