When you see a grandparent you know is raising her or his grandchild(ren), please take the time to thank her or him. More than 2.7 million children in the United States are being raised by a relative with almost two-thirds residing in the home of a grandparent. Some of these grandparents may have been “empty nesters,” some may be retired and all share a common thread: they all stepped up to provide a safe home when a grandchild did not have a safe place to live. September is Kinship Care Month in Lima, Allen County, across Ohio and the nation. It’s a month set aside to honor all relative and kinship providers who are raising children who are not their own.