Gather Your Fondest Grandma Stories

The following is from FamilySearch.

Campaign Aims to Gather Your Fondest Grandma Stories

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH—If you could share ONE story about your grandma, what would it be? That’s the question nonprofit FamilySearch International (FamilySearch.org) is nudging people worldwide to respond to as part of its worldwide #meetmygrandma social media campaign, September 20-30. FamilySearch announced the campaign today, seeking 10,000 stories in 10 days to kick off the global initiative where descendants are invited to share and preserve online or through a mobile app the fond memories or stories about their grandmothers’ charms or idiosyncrasies. Find out more at FamilySearch.org/MeetMyGrandma.

“Heart-warming experiences with a beloved grandmother are at the heart of many fond memories from our formative years, or even adulthood,” said Brad Lowder, International Marketing Director for #MeetMyGrandma campaign. “All you have to do is ask a person to share a special memory about their grandmother, and they immediately wax sentimental as they recount a heartfelt story or wise saying they cherish from a grandmother. We want to encourage people to capture for future generations those stories that make their grandmothers so special.”

FamilySearch.org offers a free international service for families to share their family histories, memories, photos, and historic documents online and preserve them for future generations. If you are fortunate to have a grandma still living, the free FamilySearch Memories mobile app (IOS only for now) allows individuals to audio record their grandmother and save those recordings online. And there are 20 fun questions to ask your grandma to help write and preserve her personal history in her own words online.

“The #meetmygrandma campaign encourages families to have fun as each member of the family shares their personal perspectives of what makes their grandmothers so special to them,” added Lowder. Their stories, and those contributed by other family members and relatives, are saved to a dynamic online profile dedicated specifically to their grandma, along with any photos and digital artifacts submitted.

One youth contributor wrote, “Grandma Ella likes to Fly. Age 80 isn’t too old to fly. She discovered she loves jumping out of airplanes. Now I know where I get my adventurous personality.” He included a picture of her skydiving with her coach. Another woman tells how her grandmother suffered for 20 long painful years from cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and other illnesses, but still managed to run a successful business from her bed.

The launch of the initiative runs from September 20–30, but the campaign will run indefinitely. Go to FamilySearch.org/meetmygrandma for more information.