Relatives as Parents Program (RAPP)

Relatives as Parents Program (RAPP) supports people raising children when parents are unavailable to parent. Mostly the caregivers are grandparents but they can be anyone - an aunt, uncle, sibling or friend of the family who has stepped up.

In RAPP, we have a monthly support group during which we have dinner. A Youth Educator conducts an activity with the children – pumpkin painting in October, apple pies in November! We invite presenters on topics such as aromatherapy for Self Care September, to promote relaxation, stress management, and fun! The monthly meeting is also a time for caregivers to be with other families in similar situations. If there is a topic of interest, we’ll find a qualified presenter. Topics range in subject from wellness and mental health, to financial health and planning, to free activities in the community.

Our mission is to provide support and information for caregivers and to connect them with people and organizations which will be most useful to them. We strive to promote familial bonding.

We also have a community garden at Family Court (during the summer months), bringing some sunshine to a place which can be somber.

We have a teen group which meets with our youth educator. Some of our participants started RAPP ten years ago and grew up in the program. We do things like take photography walks at Poets’ Walk Park. Some photos have received blue ribbons at the Ulster County Fair! Our teens put together a traveling mural with a local teaching artist, Star Nigro, which is currently on display at the Catskill Interpretive Center.

The teens also participate in Career Explorations through 4-H and travel to Cornell University for an in-depth look at various career tracks.

We organize inter-generational trips and have, for example, rented a bus to go to the Museum of Natural History, the Liberty Science Museum, a Broadway show, the Polar Express Train Ride and more!

Thank you for checking-in. Come over for tea any time!

Last updated August 23, 2019