About a year ago, there was a call out for contributors for an anthology - Grandmothers' Necklace, the brainchild of Patricia Ann Elford, a teacher, pastor and member of the Petawawa Grannies.
I contributed a story and poem but still had not much of a clue who the Petawawa Grannies were, only that they were somehow connected to the Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF).
I had heard tell of the SLF but I was still unsure about the organization. I quickly realized I had homework to do. So I checked out the website
Soon I was in awe of what Granny groups across the country are doing for sub-Saharan African grandmothers. The many Grandmother groups across the country assist struggling grandmothers in Africa who have not only lost their own children to the pandemic of HIV/AIDS, but they face the rest of their lives wondering how to provide the basic necessities as they raise their grandchildren.
I jumped at the opportunity to submit a story. Maybe this was one tiny way that I could help. None of the anthology authors receive payment for their contribution. All profits from the sale of the book go to the SLF through the Petawawa Grannies. SLF is a registered charitable organization that funds grassroots efforts in sub-Saharan Africa to better the lives of the women and children there.
Grandmother’s Necklace, a collection of inspiring stories, is the outcome of Elford’s brainchild. It only took one meeting. When Elford heard the plight of grandmothers in Africa she immediatley went into action and decided to use her gifts and abilities as a writer to compile submitted stories into a book that would help raise funds for these quietly courageous grandmothers.
This remarkable anthology includes writings by 61 authors from across Canada, the United States and Ireland. The book also contains narratives from five African grandmothers.
I am honoured to be in the company of fine writers such as Carolyn Wilker, Ruth Smith-Meyer Phil Callaway, Kathleen Gibson, Judy Maddren, Patricia Elford, L. June Stevenson, and others.
The Kitchener launch of Grandmothers’ Necklace will be held Saturday, May 1, 2010, from 2pm until 4 pm at St. Philip's Lutheran Church, 236 Woodhaven Road in Kitchener. We are really looking forward to a great turnout. Some of the contributors will be in attendance and will be reading excerpts from Grandmothers' Necklace. I even had the honour of having my mugshot on the cover of the book.
So if you happen to be in the area...come on out and sit a while. The Omas Siskona - the Granny group from Kitchener, Ontario, will be hosting the event and providing refreshments for the day!
My prayer is that God will be present and stir hearts into realizing how blessed we are here and how if every one does something small, it can lead into something much bigger for those dear souls in sub-Saharan Africa. I cannot imagine the struggles these grandmothers face. But, being a grandmother myself, I sure can understand the motivation. If we each do our part, what a wonderful world it could be!~
y by the end of August. 
