Paula first learned about MKCA when a friend recommended it as a resource to help her raise her four great-grandchildren, ages 2, 3, 5 and 7.

"I've always been the caretaker of the family. I was fortunate to be able to take care of all my grandchildren. I've always kind of put myself out there," she says.

When it came to her great-grandchildren, Paula couldn't accept the way they were living. "The kids were in such a pitiful state. Every time their mother found a home, she would get behind in rent and have to move. I couldn't let them grow up like that."

Because she doesn't work outside the home, Paula took on the job of raising her granddaughter's four young children. "Their grandmother works every day. She wasn't able to care for them. I am home, so I decided to do it. I don't do it by myself, though. My children and grandchildren help me out. My daughter came and helped me out today. She comes here to watch the kids so I could go to Volunteers of America to exercise."

Paula, a 69-year-old resident of South Minneapolis, is working with an attorney to get legal custody of the children. The three girls and one boy are healthy, she says, although her five-year-old great-granddaughter was born premature and has some developmental issues. And raising children without their mother's involvement isn't easy.

"For a long time, when their mother came to visit and then left, they all cried so hard. They love her. But they don't cry so much anymore."

Paula has been caring for the children fulltime for about four months, although the kids were part of her life prior to that. "They have lived with me and off and on. My two-year- old was born at the hospital and then brought here. Their mother still calls and checks in. But the kids are getting settled. They all have beds." The children's mother gave a written statement giving Paula temporary care of the children.

Paula believes it is a privilege to be here for her great-grandchildren. "God gave me the privilege to be here. And I thank the Lord for giving me the chance to be here for my great-grandchildren."

Debra

Debra got involved with MKCA when her teenage son and his girlfriend had a child.

"My son moved to Florida and the girlfriend wasn't prepared to raise a child, so Child Protection got involved. As the grandmother, they asked me to take the baby. I wrote my son and told him about the situation. I asked him what his commitment was to 'this little guy.' We came up with a Plan A and Plan B. My son came back to Minnesota and for about two years it went through the courts."

Today, Debra's son has physical and legal custody of his 13-year-old son, Nathan. Nathan's mother is not currently involved in his life. His grandmother was determined to be a female role model who didn't leave the boy's life. "I am committed to being a part of his life. I talk to him once a week. I Facebook him. And he spent a month with me this summer."

When it comes to advising other relatives about how to raise their children, Debra has this advice: "Stay connected no matter what. Keep looking for different ways and resources. I really considered taking Nathan on myself, but I looked at the bigger picture of what that would do to the relationship with my son."

Debra believes caregivers should keep their focus on one thing. "I would make sure you focus on the child's well-being and stay committed. My grandson believes he is my favorite person in the whole wide world. And my son is OK with that."

As for the help she received from MKCA, Debra believes in their mission. "I think the Minnesota Kinship Caregivers Association is a wonderful organization."

Debra says Nathan never stops wondering about his missing parent. "He has questions now. When he stayed with me over the summer, he wanted to see his mom. I let her come over so he could ask her anything he wanted. Every piece of information he gets helps complete the puzzle for him."