How Giving Grace Was Born

Some of the most meaningful journeys begin with a personal experience.

For me, that experience was helping care for my grandmother, Mimi, as she lived with Alzheimer's disease.

Growing up, I didn't think of myself as a caregiver. I was simply a granddaughter who loved spending time with her grandmother. I helped where I could, listened when she was confused, and learned how to navigate the challenges that Alzheimer's disease brought to our family.

It wasn't until years later that I learned there was a name for young people like me: Caregiving Youth.

When I discovered that more than 5.4 million children and teenagers across the United States provide care for a loved one, I was shocked. Even more surprising was how few people seemed to know they existed.

The more I researched, the more I realized that countless young caregivers were carrying responsibilities that often went unnoticed. Many were balancing school, extracurricular activities, friendships, and family caregiving responsibilities without support or recognition.

I knew I wanted to do something.

In 2023, I launched Giving Grace: Advocating for Caregiving Youth.

The name "Giving Grace" was inspired by lessons I learned from caregiving itself. Caregiving requires patience. It requires compassion. It requires extending grace to others and often to ourselves. Those values became the foundation of the platform.

At first, I wasn't exactly sure where the journey would lead.

I simply wanted to start conversations.

I wanted people to know that Caregiving Youth exist.

I wanted young caregivers to know they were not alone.

What began as a small advocacy effort quickly grew into something much bigger.

I started sharing my story with schools, community organizations, healthcare professionals, and families. Every presentation introduced me to people who had never heard the term Caregiving Youth before.

Many would approach me afterward and say, "I had no idea."

Others would quietly share their own caregiving experiences.

Some were students.

Some were parents.

Some were healthcare professionals who suddenly realized they had worked with young caregivers for years without recognizing them.

Those conversations reinforced why this work matters.

Over the past several years, Giving Grace has allowed me to speak to more than 5,000 students, families, nurses, care managers, social workers, educators, and community leaders. I have had the opportunity to work alongside incredible organizations including the American Association of Caregiving Youth, Kids Are Caregivers Too, Hope Loves Company, Lorenzo's House, Austin Public Health, and researchers from The University of Texas at Austin.

Each partnership has helped expand awareness and create new opportunities to support young caregivers.

One of the most rewarding parts of this journey has been meeting other Caregiving Youth.

Their stories are different, but many of their experiences are remarkably similar. They understand the responsibility, the challenges, the worries, and the love that often come with caregiving.

They remind me why Giving Grace exists.

Today, Giving Grace is more than a platform.

It is a mission.

A mission to ensure that every young caregiver feels seen.

A mission to ensure that every young caregiver feels heard.

A mission to create a future where Caregiving Youth are recognized, supported, and empowered.

While the journey began with my grandmother, it now belongs to a much larger community.

Every conversation, every presentation, every partnership, and every young caregiver who shares their story helps move this mission forward.

Looking back, I never could have imagined where a simple desire to help others would lead.

But I know this: Giving Grace was born from love, fueled by purpose, and inspired by the millions of young caregivers whose stories deserve to be told.

And this is only the beginning.

Giving Grace Motto:
Every Young Caregiver Seen. Every Voice Heard. Every Story Matters.