NEW YORK, July 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --Caring Across Generations, a national movement sparking connections across generations to transform how we care in America, today announced the launch of ThrowbackSummer, a summer-long celebration of the relationships between grandparents and grandchildren.
ThrowbackSummer kicks off with an online contest, "ThrowbackYearbook," in which people can submit photos and stories of their grandparents in five different yearbook-themed categories: Best Dressed, Most Inspiring, Most Ahead of Their Time, Life of the Party, and Most Talented. The nominated grandparent does not have to be alive or be a biological grandparent - just an elder that has had a meaningful impact on a younger person's life.
The contest is open to all people, and has received attention from celebrities including Harold Perrineau, Kathleen Robertson, and Issa Rae, who will also be sharing their stories on ThrowbackYearbook.
The grand prize winner will receive a family vacation worth up to $2,500. Judging will be based on a combination of votes earned through social media and an assessment of creativity, originality, and strength of the intergenerational relationship. In addition to the grand prize, Caring Across Generations will offer smaller prizes for winners of each category, including Apple iPad minis for families to stay digitally connected.
"We're experiencing an amazing cultural shift in our country, where grandparents are living longer and more actively, and connecting with their grandchildren in ways that they haven't in decades," says Ai-jen Poo, co-director of Caring Across Generations. "These special relationships are reshaping the way families care for each other, and are challenging us to rethink how we and our loved ones want to live as we grow older."
As Population Ages, Most People Wish They Knew More About Their Elders
As baby boomers age, the population of Americans 65 and older is skyrocketing, which significantly impacts family dynamics. Multigenerational households are on the rise, and grandparents are more involved with their grandchildren's care, health, and upbringing than in previous generations. According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2012 American Community Survey, there were 7.1 million grandparents whose grandchildren under 18 years old were living with them. By 2020, the number of grandparents in America is expected to leap from 65 million to 80 million.
At the same time, families are facing unprecedented home-based caregiving needs for their loved ones. Seven out of ten elder Americans will need long-term care at some point in their lives, and 90% prefer to age at home.
New marketing research conducted in May 2014 by JWT'sresearch and insights arm also found that there is a strong underlying desire among Americans to better know people from older generations -- but that many do not even know their own older family members.
Across different age groups, the statements people most associated with those in their 80s or older in particular were "I wish I had more time to spend with them" and "I wish I knew more about them."
"ThrowbackSummer encourages young people to connect with their grandparents and discover their stories," says Sarita Gupta, co-director of Caring Across Generations. "It's a unique way to publicly honor the positive impact their grandparents have on their lives."
ThrowbackSummer will culminate in an online and offline celebration of Grandparents Day on September 7, 2014, a little-known national holiday that Caring Across Generations plans on elevating throughout the summer to celebrate the active role grandparents play in families' lives.
"We want to pull Grandparents Day out of obscurity and make it a national holiday worthy of the celebration that our grandparents deserve," added Gupta.
For more information on ThrowbackSummer and to enter the ThrowbackYearbook contest, please visit: www.throwbacksummer.com.
About Caring Across Generations
Caring Across Generations protects the rights of all Americans to choose the care and support they need to live with dignity. By working together with aging Americans, people with disabilities, workers, and their families, we can increase every family's access to the care and support they need at a price they can afford and create millions of high quality in-home care jobs in the process. For more information visit: www.caringacross.org.
About Throwback Summer
Inspired by the popular Throwback Thursday trend, Caring Across Generations launched this initiative to engage young people and inspire them to share their amazing grandparents with the world. Our ultimate goal is to build a national movement to transform the way we care in this country. And that includes caring for our elders.
CONTACT: Leslie Patterson, leslie@berlinrosen.com, 646-200-5326
SOURCE Caring Across Generations
