FRANKFORD ALUMNI

F-A.com: How did you get into this new venture during this chapter of your life?

​

Grace: "I worked as a Nanny/Housekeeper for the one family for 30 years. The boys are now grown. The youngest child is autistic, he graduated from college, but I still provide some minimal care for him."

​

"Most of the professional parents know me from play dates and shopping for my clients."

​

"They're empty nesters now, so they spend a lot of time traveling, but they have pets. So, when they're away traveling, I watch their pets and their homes."  

​

F-A.com: How often?

​

Grace: "It's been steady work through word-of-mouth for the past three years. I don't need to market, they come to me."

​

"Three years ago, I started with one. Now, I have four or five on a regular basis. My busy months are in the Spring and Fall. I'm currently on a three-week assignment. I stay in the home. It's 24-hour care."

​

F-A.com: Who are your regular clients?

​

Grace:  "I have Buttercup, Mitzy, who has no teeth and  can’t hear. When she eats you have to wipe her chin. And there's George, a bulldog. His pet parent has him on a schedule. He eats breakfast 7-9, lunch 1-2, dinner 5-6. Jezzie is a small dog with a lot of hair."

​

F-A.com: What are the challenges of pet-sitting?

​

Grace: "Being away from home. When I'm pet sitting, I don't like to leave the dog by itself long if I have to run errands. So, I'm with them most of the time."

​

"Another challenge is trying to remember the alarms. The police are here fast when they go off."

​

F-A.com: What are the rewards?

​

Grace: "I get to know the people. They treat me like family. Everyone knows me. They know they can trust me."

​

"They leave for a week to three weeks. "They can go away and know their home and dogs are being taken care of. "

​

F-A.com: "Who or what inspired you at Frankford?

​

Grace: "I've developed lifelong friends at Frankford  that began even before we arrived there. To this day, Janice McCauley, Eleanor Wolf, Roseanne Zehn, Sharon Finch and Mary meet for lunch and love to attend cover band concerts. That's our thing."

​

"I had a difficult childhood and missed a lot of school due to my mother's mental illness. I often had to stay home and watch my special needs baby brother."

 

I had an Algebra teacher who took me aside and said: 'you've missed too many days to catch up, do your best and I will pass you. I did my best and he passed me. He also advised me to take business courses instead of the academic curriculum, since I wasn't planning on attending college. I needed to work. He was a very special teacher."

​

F-A.com: What advice would you give Frankford's students?

​

Grace: "Just keep going. My God helped me get through the hard times."

​

"No matter what problem is remember that it can be solved. Don’t give up. Forgive and keep moving. forward." ​​​​​​

​