Honoring Sheila White, of Quincy: Big award for grandmother raising 6 grandchildren
QUINCY − A Quincy grandmother who is raising six of her nine grandchildren alone is getting a big award.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts will celebrate its 75th anniversary Saturday. And Sheila White will be honored.
White, who turned 60 in November, has been caring for six of her grandchildren, now ages 8 to 17, for the past 10 years, after their mother could not take care of them. Their mother, Rachael Kirby Dunham, 34, of Quincy, died last June. She was White's youngest daughter.
On Saturday, White will get the James J. Pallotta Award during Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts’ 25th annual Big Night fundraiser.
The event, at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston, will also celebrate the nonprofit’s 75th anniversary of supporting youngsters with caring adult mentors across the region. Pallotta is a long-time supporter of the organization, a philanthropist and is one of the founders of Big Night.
White has invited a half dozen family members to the event.
All six of White's grandchildren who live with her have either a Big Brother or a Big Sister. All the mentors are called "Bigs" and she credits them with helping to keep the young people active and strong.
The death of her daughter and the children's mother was "a big blow" to everyone, White said, and all have been having a hard time dealing with the loss.
Living with her are Kiora, 17; Braylon, 16; Kaiden, 14; Briell, 12; Kamdyn, 10; and Berlin, 8.
More than 1,000 guests will celebrate the power of youth mentoring at the dinner.
How you can give: Want to help Big Brothers and Sisters? Click here
Mark O’Donnell, current president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts, will give a presentation on how the nonprofit has grown and changed over the past 75 years. Then he will present White with her award.
Children need a special caring adult in their corner
“Our secret to such longevity has been our ability to meet youth, families, and our adult volunteers where they are and provide programming tailored to meet their needs in real time," O'Donnell said this week.
"It is guardians like Shelia who make our work possible. We are grateful for her allowing us into her family.
"Having had her own mentor as a child, Shelia knows firsthand the positive impact that having a caring adult in your corner other than family can have on a young person’s life. All six of her grandchildren are enrolled in our program.
"As their guardian, she feels the ripple effect their mentors have on the family. This award represents Shelia’s commitment to ensuring her grandchildren reach their fullest potential through youth mentoring.”
When was Big Brothers Big Sisters of America founded?
It all started in 1904, when a young New York City court clerk named Ernest Coulter was seeing more and more boys come through his courtroom. He recognized that caring adults could help many of these kids stay out of trouble, and he set out to find volunteers. That marked the beginning of the Big Brothers movement, according to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America website.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Big Brothers Big Sisters honors Quincy woman raising 6 grandkids
