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A grandmother’s love

Charity helps employee, granddaughter

Lynn Ackerson, a Wichita, KS, vehicle maintenance facility clerk, received help from a Combined Federal Campaign charity after obtaining custody of her granddaughter, Gracie, last year. Photo: United Way of the Plains

Lynn Ackerson is thankful for the help she receives from an organization that aids people seeking foster care, guardianship and adoption assistance.

Ackerson, a Wichita, KS, vehicle maintenance facility clerk, contacted the Kansas Children’s Service League last year after taking custody of her 11-year-old granddaughter, Gracie.

“So many children are put into the system and there’s a great need for family members to step up and become guardians,” said Ackerson, who relied on the charitable organization to guide her through the process.

She joins other Postal Service employees who are sharing their stories of being helped by groups participating in the Combined Federal Campaign, the government’s annual workplace charity drive.

Since getting custody of Gracie, who has Type 1 diabetes, Ackerson has relied on the Kansas Children’s Service League for assistance with applying for her granddaughter’s medical care and for help with required court filings, parental guidance and education, school supplies, and more.

In a recent TV interview, Dona Booe, the organization’s chief executive officer, said its mission is to help parents and guardians “grow stronger … so they can have great outcomes with their families.”

Postal Service employees can use the Combined Federal Campaign’s online giving portal or a paper pledge form to donate to the Kansas organization and more than 7,000 other charities during the current campaign, which is underway through Jan. 12, 2020.

Said Ackerson: “There are many children in need of care, and organizations like [this] offer support to families who are guardians, fostering or trying to adopt these children.”

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