DENVER — Inside a small study room at the Sam Gary Library, grandparents gathered around laptops and notebooks, reflecting on the lives they’ve lived and the families they’ve helped raise. For many in the room, these memoirs are more than stories, they are a legacy.
“Memoirs of our lives, so that the kids that we’re raising, our grandchildren, great-grandchildren, have something they can look back on,” said Ella Baldwin, a 78-year-old great-grandmother raising her 7-year-old great-granddaughter.
The writing workshop is part of Beloved Grandfamilies, a Denver-based nonprofit supporting grandparents and relatives raising children, when their biological parents or guardians cannot. The organization provides support groups, educational workshops, holiday celebrations and resources for grandparents navigating unexpected parenting responsibilities later in life.
“We focus on grandparents raising their grandchildren, but we also work with a lot of families through intergenerational housing and reunifying families together,” said Jacqueline Enriquez, founder and CEO of Beloved Grandfamilies.
Enriquez knows those challenges personally. After working for the Federal Reserve Bank for 20 years, she said she received a call from Child Protective Services informing her that her infant grandson was in intensive care while another grandchild had been placed in foster care.
“I had to make an immediate decision whether to take custody or not,” Enriquez said. “And of course, there was no decision. They needed their grandma’s love.”
She quit her job, adopted her grandsons and later founded Beloved Grandfamilies to help others in similar situations. Enriquez says more than 35,000 grandparents in Colorado are raising their grandchildren.
“It’s definitely not easy,” she said. “You become isolated. You lose your friends, and then you’re raising children all over again.”
For Ella Baldwin, those struggles became reality after the death of her granddaughter three years ago. Baldwin adopted her great-granddaughter, Penelope, after raising her since she was about 8 months old.
“She still calls me Nana,” Baldwin said. “I’m not her mom. I want her to remember always that her mom’s her mom.”
At one point, Baldwin said she and Penelope briefly lived in a shelter while trying to find stable housing. Baldwin said Beloved Grandfamilies gave her a support system during one of the hardest periods of her life.
“We’ve survived it,” Baldwin said. “We’re doing okay. The best part is being able to listen to other grandparents and hear what their stories are,” Baldwin said.
One volunteer who’s helping make those grandparents feel welcome is Mariko LuQman. LuQman has volunteered with Beloved Grandfamilies for nearly four years while also helping care for her grandchildren so her adult children can continue working and building their careers.
“I knew I was going to be the daycare in the family, and I welcomed it,” LuQman said. “That’s just another chance for me to be mother all over again.”
LuQman, a mother of seven and grandmother of 12, said supporting families goes beyond just helping grandparents.
“It’s all about the dynamic of the family and what the family needs,” she said.
In addition to helping her own family, LuQman volunteers across Denver, feeding unhoused community members, singing for Denver Public Schools students and supporting several nonprofits.
Enriquez described LuQman as a role model within the organization.
“She became such a great role model to a lot of our grandparents,” Enriquez said. “She has a very, very big passion for her community.”
Baldwin and other grandparents in the writing group agreed.
“She’s always happy, and she’s always supportive to everybody,” Baldwin said.
During their writing workshop, Denver7 surprised LuQman with the Denver7 Everyday Hero award for her dedication to supporting families across the community.
“This is the Grammy’s of community service,” LuQman said after receiving the recognition. “Thank you for even finding me worthy of this honor.”
For LuQman, the real reward is knowing families feel supported, and making sure future generations understand the stories that came before them.
“You make a living by what you get,” LuQman said. “You make a life by what you give.”
Denver7 features a different Everyday Hero each week. To nominate a hero in your life, click here.