WHEELING, W.Va. -- Five-year-old Jenna is the apple of Mary Maguire's eye. Maguire’s granddaughter spends every day after school at Grammy and Pappy's house. But as Maguire and her granddaughter sit at the kitchen table eating dinner or playing “Go Fish” every evening, it brings back memories of the two other grandchildren she has, but is not allowed to see.

"These kids had never spent a birthday at anyplace by my house. Now there's nothing," Maguire said. "We haven't seen them for a little over nine years."

Nine years ago is when Maguire's daughter passed away. Her daughter's children are now in their father's care. While she's longing to see them and spoil them, like she does with Jenna, the decision isn't up to her. Judge Bill Sinclair, of Wheeling’s Family Court said the law is much more complex than people think.

Sinclair said the only "right" grandparents have when it comes to visitation is the right to take the case to court.

"If you have a situation where a fit and proper parent for whatever reason decides a grandparent should not see the child and should not have any kind of grandparent contact, the grandparent is going to have a very high hill to climb," he explained.

The judge said each case is handled individually. Maguire has been to court numerous times fighting for visitation rights. But with no results there, she's taking the cause beyond the courtroom.

Maguire is part of a group of other grandparents denied visitation rights, joining together to fight for what they believe every grandparent should have.

"The object is to hug, love, spoil and send them home to mom and dad and it's just not happening here," Maguire said.

The group is working on a petition they plan to take to lawmakers. They want their voices heard, so their grandchildren can be part of their lives.

"That's one of our main goals is to get petitions get them signed,” she said. “Stand at Kroger's if we have to. Stand wherever in the valley and do a big time bang up job on this."

For more information about the group, contact Mary Maguire at 304-280-5221.