Love Doesn't Retire: Supporting Grandfamilies Through Every Season
What happens when retirement plans are replaced by school drop-offs, homework, and parenting all over again?
In this episode of Conversations with Karen and Cat, we welcome Dimeca and Burdette Hawkins, founders of Poppa & Gigi's Promise. They share their journey of unexpectedly becoming full-time caregivers for their grandchildren and how that experience inspired them to create a nonprofit dedicated to supporting grandparents and other relative caregivers.
Resources from the episode
Poppa & Gigi's Promise
Supporting grandparents and caregivers raising children through resources, community, advocacy, and events.
Step Forward Community Walk
📅 October 3
🕘 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Learn more, register, and donate at:
PoppaAndGigisPromise.org
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Poppa and Gigi’s Promise Non Profit Organization
Poppa & Gigi’s Promise - A Grandfamily Story
From our journey to yours, we never imagined we would be starting over in this season of life.
We are The Hawkins Family—Poppa and Gigi—and like many grandparents, we found ourselves stepping back into full-time parenting when life took an unexpected turn. What was once a quiet chapter of enjoying grandkids from the sidelines quickly became a calling to raise them, guide them, and protect them all over again.
And while love made it possible, we quickly learned something many grandfamilies already know: the system is not always built for us.
Resources for grandparents raising grandchildren are often limited, hard to find, or not designed with our unique needs in mind. From school support to financial assistance, counseling services to legal guidance, many families are left navigating it all on their own—figuring it out one day at a time while still trying to keep stability and peace for the children in their care.
We’ve lived the questions:
“Where do we go for help that actually understands our situation?”
“Why are so many programs designed for parents, but not for grandparents stepping in as caregivers?”
“How do we balance our own needs while raising growing children again?”
Out of those questions, Poppa and Gigi’s Promise was born.
This is more than a platform—it’s a lifeline rooted in lived experience. A space created to uplift, connect, and support grandfamilies and caregivers who are doing their best with what they have, often without enou… Read More
