Saving Grace is a local support group created to help grandparents, kinship, foster parents and adopted families who are raising grandkids or have adopted children due to the opioid crisis.
The group offers support from others who are dealing with similar situations. Families can receive training on different topics ranging from self-care to childhood trauma. It also helps families with court and Child Protective Service processing.
Saving Grace Support Group serves as a safe and private space for people to come and express themselves and their concerns, as well as be able to give advice to those dealing with similar situations.
There are guest speakers, from many different agencies in the area, who talk to the group about many different topics and offer support concerning each family’s situation.
The support group was created by Tammy McCormick, who is raising her grandchildren.
“I felt alone,” said McCormick. “I told my husband that we needed to do something because we’re not alone.”
McCormick created Saving Grace to help other grandparents who also have custody of their grandchildren or have adopted children due to the opioid crisis. She wanted to create a space where grandparents could come express themselves and to let them know that they are not alone.
McCormick named the support group “Saving Grace” after her granddaughter, who was born with drugs in her system, and is her saving grace. “I was having a lot of health problems and she saved me,” said McCormick.
“I know that I can help other grandparents and families feel like they have been saved. We are here to help and answer any questions.”
McCormick wants families who have been impacted by the opioid crisis to know that they are not alone and should not be embarrassed to speak out.
The support group’s motto is “We are stronger together.”
Saving Grace Support Group began as a Facebook group several years ago and, about a year after the group was created, a member of the Avery United Methodist Church had reached out to McCormick to provide a safe space for the group to meet in person. The group had to stop meeting last summer because of COVID-19, but as of April 27, 2021, the group has been able to meet again.
“I want this support group to be available everywhere,” said McCormick. “We know that there is not much support out there, but we want people to know that we are here and want to help. We don’t want anyone to feel alone.”
The support group meets at Avery United Methodist Church, on 1152 Cheat Rd., every second and fourth Tuesday of each month from 6p.m.-8p.m.
For more information about Saving Grace and how to join, contact Tammy McCormick at SavingGraceWV@gmail.com or on Facebook at Saving Grace Support Group.
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