In Loving Memory · 1946–2024
Doris “Jean” Hackney
Founder & Executive Director of Grands As Parents · lovingly known as “The Grandmother of North Philadelphia”
For more than two decades, Miss Jean turned a single block of North Philadelphia into a place where no grandparent raising a grandchild ever had to stand alone.
“She took something very little and turned it into something very big.”— State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, her nephew
She created an oasis on the 2200 block of Woodstock Street — feeding families, gathering toys, clothing, and school supplies for children, leading workshops for caregivers, hosting health fairs, and helping build Susquehanna Square, thirty-seven affordable homes for grandfamilies. She carried that mission all the way to Washington, championing the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act.
Seventy‑seven — a number that exudes resilience. On April 30, 2024, at 77 years old, our dear pillar, Doris “Jean” Hackney, received her wings. She was a warrior woman, never shy about advocating for her community and steadfast to the end. We know Mrs. Jean would want the vision of Grands As Parents to press forward — and so it will.
A life of service, remembered
Carried on today
Her Work in the Community
Food on the table, toys under the tree, and a hand to hold through the hard seasons — the everyday work Miss Jean built is still carried on today by the volunteers and families of Grands As Parents.
Her mission continues
Grands As Parents carries Miss Jean’s vision forward — standing with the grandparents, kin, and caregivers raising Philadelphia’s children, so every family stays whole and every child keeps their smile.
Support this workGeneration to generation
Moments From Our Community
The work Miss Jean began lives on in moments like these — grandparents and grandchildren together, joy passed from one generation to the next as we help a child keep a smile.
Come as you are
Events
In the News
“Grandfamilies” can happen unexpectedly. A group of Philadelphia grandmothers is making sure no one is alone.
CBS News Philadelphia featured Grands As Parents and the grandmothers who’ve built a family for one another — including members Joan Hughes and Juanita Cox, friends of more than 50 years. Nearly 30% of Philadelphia grandparents are raising their grandchildren.
Read the story →Watch on CBS ↗Voices From the GAP Family
For nearly thirty years, grandparents raising grandchildren have found food, resources, and a family at Grands As Parents — work featured byCBS News Philadelphia.
Don't be afraid, just come on down. We all need help at one time or another.
She brought me here, and I have been here ever since.
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