Grace Harris found her calling in in-home caregiving through her Christian faith, which she says calls people to care for those who can’t care for themselves.

Grace Harris at PA Day on the Hill at the Minnesota Capitol. (Courtesy of Grace Harris)

Harris, 27, was born in Madison, Wis., and now lives in St. Paul. Inspired by members of her church, she says she wanted to be the “hands and feet of Christ” to help others. She is now studying to be a physician assistant after being named one of 13 recipients of the Jean Griswold Foundation’s National Caregiver Scholarship.

Harris was recognized in part because of her efforts caring for a 92-year-old woman from her church in Illinois while attending Northern Illinois University in DeKalb and Lewis University in Romeoville.

“It takes time, it takes resources, and it’s not like everyone has to take care of people in that way, but I think especially for Christians to serve one another, it’s not a burden, it’s a blessing,” Harris said.

Started as volunteer

Harris said church members asked if she could help a couple with groceries and housework after the wife broke her hip. What began as a few nights of assistance turned into months of care, including cooking, cleaning and providing companionship.

In 2022, Harris quit her job to help the woman relocate to California to be near family, where she later carried the woman to her granddaughter’s wedding and supported her through end-of-life care until her death in 2023.

Samantha “Eva” Laktineh, 71, daughter of the 92-year-old woman, said her family thinks the world of Harris, calling her “faithful, dependable” and someone who “never gives up on something.”

While Laktineh was dealing with severe back pain and unable to care for her mother, she said Harris stepped in to help both of them, doing the work wholeheartedly.

“It meant the world, because somebody is completely selfless,” Laktineh said. “I’m 71 now and I haven’t seen somebody like Grace.”

Need for caregivers

While Harris started out as an unpaid caregiver, she soon turned toward a career in health care, beginning work at Griswold Home Care in Anoka as a part-time caregiver in 2023.

The Jean Griswold Foundation awarded Harris a $2,000 scholarship in July. She’s using it as a student in the physician assistant program at Bethel University in Arden Hills.

“It was just a blessing to get some financial help and encouragement to keep pursuing compassionate health care as I train to be a PA,” Harris said.

The scholarship program honors Jean Griswold, who founded Griswold Home Care in 1982 in Philadelphia after a church member who lacked support died of dehydration. Griswold began matching caregivers with seniors who couldn’t care for themselves.

Sarah Latini, director of the Jean Griswold Foundation, said the pandemic showed how much caregivers sacrifice in supporting the elderly. That inspired the foundation to support caregivers by offering scholarships to continue their education and careers in health care. She said the foundation’s long-term goal is to attract people to caregiving through education and provide the financial resources to help them continue.

“Those who are at the early stages of the career trajectory don’t have a lot of resources or time to put toward saving for education or making space for educational advancement,” Latini said. “And so this was a way we could support dedicated caregivers and make sure they knew they were so important.”

Latini said Harris’ experiences in caregiving and pursuit of further education showed the compassion and dedication the Jean Griswold Foundation looks for in its scholars.

Latini said the shortage of in-home caregivers and nurses makes it a compelling career path, with wide opportunities for those who have experience, commitment and interest in providing care.

Rewarding work

Nicole Myhre, co-owner of Griswold Home Care of Anoka County, said the hardest part is working with clients on their bad days, while loneliness and isolation remain the biggest struggles for seniors.

She added that Harris stands out as an employee, working with purpose and a positive attitude, and encouraging others to bring a caring heart, passion and creativity to caregiving.

Related Articles

Pedestrian struck and killed in crash near Lake Phalen in St. Paul

GoFundMe set up for family of St. Paul contractor who was killed by construction vehicle

St. Paul: After Selby Ave. property demolished without permit, concerns over new student housing builds

One year after a Lowertown artist’s fatal shooting, answers still elusive

Joe Soucheray: Trump had nothing to do with fraud in Minnesota. That’s on the governor.

“Having caregivers like Grace, when they help our clients, it gives them purpose again,” Myhre said.

Harris said the scholarship will help her continue serving future patients with the same care she gave Griswold clients and Laktineh’s mother.

“Though it’s tiring, it’s also so rewarding, especially when there’s gratitude on the other end. That companionship aspect for somebody that’s not able to do something for themselves or get help is really rewarding,” Harris said.

Gloria Ngwa was a summer 2025 reporting intern sponsored by the St. Paul Jaycees Foundation, in conjunction with ThreeSixty Journalism and the Minneapolis Society of Professional Journalists.

After Damaris Hernández’s husband committed suicide, some of their acquaintances turned their back on her — for nearly a decade, in some cases.

(Courtesy of author)

They weren’t trying to be cruel. They were just terrified of saying the wrong things, and, therefore, they said, and did, nothing.

Hernández said such emotional impairment bubbles up from childhood, when kids are often obsessively shielded from grief and therefore don’t know how to handle themselves around it.

“My first exposure to a funeral or to someone who died was my father-in-law,” she said. “I was in my late 30s.

“My mom never wanted me to see it as a kid. You stay home and don’t talk about it,” said Hernández, 53, who was born in and spent her early childhood in Mexico but has lived in Minnesota for going on three decades.

Some people do work up the courage to try comforting the grief-stricken — but end up saying the wrong things:

“Don’t dwell on the past, move forward.”
“Just keep busy and it will go away on its own.”
“You’re only thinking about yourself.”

Hernández, well acquainted with such platitudes in the years since her husband Jim took his life in a frozen pond, became inspired to write a book about it.

“Voices of Empathy: A Guide On What To Say For Those In Grief” is aimed at those who struggle one way or another in the presence of the grief-stricken.

Damaris Hernández (courtesy of the author)

Comparing notes with fellow widows and widowers, Hernández came to wonder, “why aren’t any of us educating people?”

Hernández had another reason unrelated to the subject matter to embark on the book-length work. Her father, who has been blind since age 4, is the author of six poetry books. “I would go to him and say, ‘How did you do (that)?’

“He would say to me, ‘Just write one page a day. Just write one page a day,’” she said.

Hernández’s book includes a chapter about (and for) children: “Teaching Children About Death — A Journey For Supporters.”

She also has advice for those who don’t know what to say.

“Hold their hands,” she said. “Twenty minutes later, they’re not going to remember what you said, but they’re going to remember that you stayed. So, really, my advice is: Show up.”

Meanwhile, Hernández still struggled with the acquaintances who stopped when they saw her in the grocery store and then moved off in another direction — for nine years.

That is, until they picked up her book.

“They were like, ‘Thank you for, you know, for opening up and, I mean, just telling the story of what happened,’” Hernández said.

She had a similar experience with one of her brothers, who was abroad when her ordeal transpired, and he never delved into it — until the book.

“And he’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, like wow, now I understand what you went through for nine years.’”

Get more information about Hernández’s book at: damarisemotioncode.com/book

Related Articles

Hard pass. Cold brew. Dad bod. Merriam-Webster adds over 5,000 words to ‘Collegiate’ dictionary

Five things to know about the Julia Child exhibit at the MN History Center

‘Slow Horses’ author Mick Herron reveals the secret origins of Slough House

Literary calendar for week of Sept. 21

Readers and writers: St. Paul author took a winding road to her first thriller

Guns to Gardens in the St. Croix Valley is taking Isaiah 2:4 to heart.

The group, an offshoot of the national Guns to Gardens movement, will be putting the Bible verse — “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks” — into action next month by turning unwanted guns into gardening tools.

Guns to Gardens in the St. Croix Valley will hold its first event from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, in the parking lot of First Presbyterian Church of Stillwater in Oak Park Heights.

The group is working to reduce gun violence by reducing the number of guns in homes and communities, said Linda Orsted, co-leader of the event and a member of First Presbyterian.

Unwanted and unloaded guns will be dismantled at the drive-through event, and the leftover parts will be forged into garden tools and decorative objects, she said.

How to donate

Those participating in the event are asked to place working, unloaded guns in the trunk or the rear of the vehicle; no ammunition is accepted.

Skilled personnel will remove the firearms from the vehicles, make sure they are unloaded and transfer them to a “chop-saw station,” she said.

Trained volunteers will use power tools to make required cuts to the guns according to guidelines from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The gun owner, who remains anonymous, waits through this process and there is no transfer of firearm ownership. Once the gun is dismantled, it is no longer legally a gun. The owner can donate the leftover parts to be forged into garden tools, which will be donated to garden nonprofits, she said.

Grocery gift cards

Related Articles

Bicyclist struck, seriously injured in crash in Stillwater Township

New Richmond, Wis., man dies in crash in Oak Park Heights

Washington County crypto heist totaled $8M, draws federal charges

New map highlights Washington County home deeds with racial covenants

Stillwater vigil planned to honor Charlie Kirk

Guns to Gardens in the St. Croix Valley will distribute gift cards from local grocery stores — until supplies run out — as a thank you to donors, Orsted said. Gift cards will be given thusly: $200 for a semiautomatic, assault-style rifle; $150 for a revolver or semiautomatic handgun; and $100 for a manual shotgun, hunting rifle or pistol.

Anyone who wouldn’t want to see a good hunting rifle or shotgun go to waste should consider taking it to a gun or antique dealer instead, Orsted said, although the goal of the event is to remove guns from the marketplace and reduce the number of firearm accidents and deaths.

The participating organizations include First Presbyterian, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, St. Croix United Church, St. Michael’s Catholic Church, American Legion Post No. 491 and Moms Demand Action Woodbury/Stillwater along with concerned individuals from the community.

For more information or to contribute a tax-deductible gift for the project, contact gunstogardensstcroix@gmail.com.

Kids ‘n Kinship provides friendships and positive role models to children and youth ages 5-16 who are in need of an additional supportive relationship with an adult. Here’s one of the youth waiting for a mentor:

Looking for a mentor: Iris (Kids ‘n Kinship)

First name: Iris

Age: 11

Interests: Iris enjoys drawing and most arts and craft projects. She also learned to ride a bike recently so has tried to bike as much as she can! She also enjoys swimming, spending time with her friend, and trying new things.

Personality/Characteristics: Mom describes Iris as smart and sweet. She is quiet and shy at first but warms up quickly. She describes herself as silly, kind and caring. Iris is a bright young girl with a sensitive temperament and big heart.

Goals/dreams: When she grows up he wants to be a therapist for kids!  If she had a genie, her three wishes would be to: 1) Move to Florida (so she is close to Disney)  2) Go to Hawaii  3)  Take a cruise (she thinks they sound fun, and loves being on the water). Mom is looking for a healthy, strong female dynamic for Iris.  An individual or couple match would be best for Iris.

For more information: Iris is waiting for a mentor through Kids n’ Kinship in Dakota County. To learn more about this youth mentoring program and the 39+ youth waiting for a mentor, sign up for an Information Session, visit www.kidsnkinship.org or email programs@kidsnkinship.org. For more information about mentoring in the Twin Cities outside of Dakota County, contact MENTOR MN at mentor@mentormn.org or fill out a brief form at www.mentoring.org/take-action/become-a-mentor/#search.

Related Articles

Inver Grove Heights man gets 20 years for ‘coercing and manipulating’ girls to send nude photos

Judge finds Current DJ’s stalker violated restraining order but not guilty due to mental illness

Burnsville: Construction worker fatally struck on I-35W

Gym chain to celebrate first Rosemount location

Dakota County proposes 9.9% levy increase for 2026 budget