Advocating Across Generations and
Telling the Stories That Matter.
Donna M. Butts is an award-winning nonprofit leader, author, and nationally trusted voice advancing intergenerational solutions that strengthen children, families, and older adults.
Kirkus Review of Grandfamilies: Stories of Children and the Loving Relatives Who Raise Them
“An informed and engaging overview of the larger family systems so many young people need. In her nonfiction debut, Butts… writes about the anecdotal and documented advantages of collective, multigenerational care… these family dynamics will be warmly recognized by many readers.”
A Message from Donna
Meet
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Donna served as Executive Director of Generations United, a national nonprofit focused on strengthening families through intergenerational policy and practice, where she elevated the needs of grandfamilies and advanced policies supporting families across generations. Her leadership shaped national conversations and helped pave the way for critical legislation and resources for relative caregivers.
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In her book Grandfamilies, Donna offers a powerful, firsthand look at the families who step up for children when it matters most.
More than 2.4 million children in the United States are being raised by grandparents or other relatives because their parents are unable to care for them. For years, these families — known as Grandfamilies — have too often remained invisible.
Get to Know the Grandfamilies:
Stories of Children and the Loving Relatives Who Raise Them
![[[Courtesy of Adrian Charniak. Joe and Adrian]].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14fb9e_9bf9ad64fed94154a88d2d10993973a8~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_281,h_305,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/%5B%5BCourtesy%20of%20Adrian%20Charniak_%20Joe%20and%20Adrian%5D%5D.jpg)
![A MUST USE-- GOVERNOR OF MARYLAND [[Wes Moore and grandfather, Papa Jim]].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14fb9e_111a291241864232bdf5cfb94d7070e3~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_307,h_333,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/A%20MUST%20USE--%20GOVERNOR%20OF%20MARYLAND%20%5B%5BWes%20Moore%20and%20grandfather%2C%20Papa%20Jim%5D%5D.jpg)
![[[Michelle Singletary and her grandmother, Big Mama 1991]].jpeg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14fb9e_4dc743a0e39f4b32b61e4ece57bde49b~mv2.jpeg/v1/fill/w_243,h_353,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/%5B%5BMichelle%20Singletary%20and%20her%20grandmother%2C%20Big%20Mama%201991%5D%5D.jpeg)
![[[Couresy of Bob Ruble. Bob Ruble and neice]].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14fb9e_4f36531767be43719e8b836b24a46c47~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_307,h_333,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/%5B%5BCouresy%20of%20Bob%20Ruble_%20Bob%20Ruble%20and%20neice%5D%5D.jpg)
In Grandfamilies, Donna centers the voices of caregivers and children, sharing powerful, deeply personal stories from families across generations. Through these lived experiences, the book reveals the sacrifices they make, the challenges of navigating complex systems, and the unwavering hope and resilience that sustain them.
Picture above: Pat Owens and her grandson (top left), Adrian and Joe (bottom left), Governor of Maryland, Wes Moore, and grandfather, Papa Jim (middle), Michelle Singletary and her grandmother, Big Mama (top right), and Bob Ruble and his niece (bottom right).