Community shows outpouring of support for “Grady Baby” taken in by Rockdale County activist

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA—The community is rallying around baby Christopher, who needed someone to raise him. After he was born last Wednesday, Nov. 8, at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, ihe was immediately given up for guardianship by his birth mom, who is unable to care for him and her other four children.

Above Canei Lampkin (right) and baby Christoper are  pictured with Lampkin’s mother, Josie Dean.

Canei Lampkin and her mother, Rockdale community activist Josie Dean, have welcomed the newborn into their hearts and home to raise him. They picked him up on Sunday   when the mother and baby were released from the hospital.

“I am so happy. We are so happy. God blessed me with a brand new baby!” Lampkin, 37, said with excitement.

“God is good!” shouted Josie Dean.

The news has sparked an outpouring of community support with people donating new clothes, diapers, bassinets and baby gear.

Lampkin said the baby boy is a special gift from God. She said she learned that when she was going through treatment for endometrial cancer, she couldn’t have any children of her own. Lampkin, who has been in remission for nearly five years, considers herself a community mom.

Lampkin and her mom run Visions of the Minds, a nonprofit that puts on events throughout the year for school-aged children and provides summer field trips and other experiences for them.

Lampkin said she learned about the baby after receiving a call from a 20-year-old man, who said his relatives told him to get in touch with her.

“He said his mom was expecting to have the baby on Nov. 18 and she couldn’t take care of him. He was begging me to please take the baby when it was born because he didn’t want his sibling to wind up in state custody,” said Lampkin. “He said other relatives had taken in his other siblings but he needed someone to take the baby.”

Lampkin said everything happened suddenly. After she spoke with the baby’s brother on last Tuesday, Nov. 7, the baby was born the next day. Christopher weighed 5 pounds, 11 ounces, and is healthy and the “sweetest baby,” Lampkin said.

“We were expecting the baby to be born on Nov. 18. The social worker at the hospital  called and said I could come and sign him out on Sunday,” Lampkin said. “They were preparing guardianship documents for me to sign.”

Lampkin said she is thankful for the support that has come from the community.

The old adage, “It takes a village to raise a child” has never been mor true, Lampkin said.

“This baby needs a village and people have come from everywhere to help,” Lampkin said.