OZARK, Ala. (WTVY) – For one woman, life is all about family and connection.
This area grandma recently found herself missing her grandchildren and took to social media branding herself as a “Grandma for Hire.”
Katrina Calloohcallay has five granddaughters who all live in Oklahoma and she misses them dearly.
“They were all born in Oklahoma,” Calloohcallay said. “I got to see two born but not the rest of them. They just grew up without me. I didn’t take trips out there.”
Calloohcallay came up with an idea to share her grandmotherly skills and took to Facebook.
“Does anyone need a grandma for hire?” the post read. It got an overwhelming amount of supportive responses. Many of them were adults who had lost their grandparents.
“Well…my kids are grown but I could always use a grandma,” one response said.
This made Caloohcallay quickly realize she wasn’t the only person missing someone.
“A lot of people lost people during the pandemic,” Caloohcallay explained. “And daily, there is some tragic story. People lose people and they’re broken and there are spots in them that just cannot be filled. If I can fill that in some level, I’m all for it. I would love to do it.”
Calloohcallay prayed to be put somewhere she felt needed. She believes her post and the responses have answered that prayer.
“Connection is what people want,” she said.
For anyone else who may be missing someone, she encouraged them to take the same leap of faith.
“Put something out on Facebook, say that you’re looking for a friend,” she said. “Or say, I don’t know, let’s go to Dunkin’ Donuts and just meet. Because I took a chance and that’s all that you have to do.
Calloohcallay works at the Rudd Art Center in Ozark.
She invites anyone in need of a grandma to come by on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, do some art, and get a grandma hug.
Subscribe to our News 4 newsletter and receive the latest local news and weather straight to your email every morning. Get instant notifications on top stories from News 4 by downloading our mobile apps.
Copyright 2024 WTVY. All rights reserved.
