My name is Mary Giles and I started working for Grandly in February. I look forward to meeting many of you someday soon!
As a teen, I was highly impacted by youth workers. I was very involved in my youth group, attended weekly meetings, and participated in mission trips. I was surrounded by youth workers who were interested in knowing me, who intentionally invited me into their life, and who eagerly passed on their faith.
After completing college, I moved to Detroit to do volunteer youth work myself. I served with YouthWorks-Detroit, spending time with inner-city youth in their schools, at after-school programs, and during evening youth groups. I entered the lives of many teens who needed a listener, a role model, and someone to trust. They, in turn, entered my heart.
Previously, I would never have described grandparents as youth workers. They were great and helped me obtain my first car, but isn’t youth work for someone closer in age to the youth? A few years ago I heard that my parents attended a Grandly conference. Because I had no knowledge of the intentions and purpose of Grandly, I made the assumption it was simply a conference for senior citizens.
That all changed in November 2018 when my husband and I welcomed our first child. Since becoming a mother, my view of grandparents has completely flipped. (My little muffin needs all the help he can get!) Grandparents are not just people who spoil their children’s kids with treats and movies. They are the first role models outside of a child’s home!
Thanks to Grandly, my parents, along with many others, are now learning new ways to think, pray, and act more strategically in the lives of their grandchildren. As a former teen, youth worker, and now, mother, I am extremely excited about becoming part of a mission which equips grandparents to do it grandly.
Mary Giles lives in Lansing, Michigan, is a mother of one, and is the newest addition to the Grandly staff. She will assist with running seminars, recruiting volunteers, and raising support for Grandly projects.
Copyright © 2019 Grandly: The Strategic Grandparents Club.