April is Child Abuse Prevention month and counties throughout the state are hosting various events to raise awareness for child abuse prevention in their communities.
In Brown County, the second annual Family Festival returns next week to Deer Run Park with Department of Child Services partnering community agencies to promote that awareness.
Prior to 2022, smaller events that were more directed toward providers and community partners were held. Last year, Family Festival was introduced as an event specifically to engage kids and families in the Brown County community.
“We’re hoping to continue building momentum for the event and have it become something that people look forward to every year,” local DCS director Jonathon Dauterman said last week.
Last year the event brought together around 30 community organizations and an estimated attendance of 150 people. Dauterman hopes the turnout is even bigger this year.
As far as event structure, the event will more or less be the same.
Community organizations will be available to provide information and resources. There will be activities for children and families including a bounce house, face painting, free hair cuts, and games. There will also be free food and a free raffle for attendees with gift cards and family-friendly gift baskets as prizes.
Dauterman said the Brown County DCS office typically has a caseload between 30 and 40 children and receives between 20 and 30 new reports of abuse or neglect each month. The most common risk factor that leads to open cases is substance use.
They also regularly see cases opened due to physical abuse and domestic violence.
“The most important thing in my opinion for people to understand about the trends we see is that child abuse and neglect vary rarely occurs as the result of a parent wanting to inflict harm on their child,” he said.
“Abuse and neglect occurs because of stressors experienced by families and sometimes lack of skills or knowledge on how to parent children with complex needs. It’s important that we as a community do everything we can to mitigate these stressors and provide support to families in hopes of eliminating child abuse and neglect within our community.”
From DCS’ perspective, he said, it’s important that people see that the organization wants to be in the community as a as a support for families and not just be perceived as an agency that wants to punish people or only shows up when something bad happens.
“Our goal is always to provide families the support they need in the least intrusive way possible, so it’s important that we can build trust with the community to be able to provide that support.
Dauterman is among several who have planned the event, including Brown County Guardian Ad Litem Director Sallyann Murphey, Healthy Families members Melanie Pote and Taylor McGlothlin, Sandy Washburn with Brown County Schools, Melanie Voland with Centerstone, Sarah Cullison with Ireland Home Base Services, April Lancaster with DCS, Recovery and Wellness Coalition member Felicia Velez and Brown County Juvenile Probation Officer Hannah Lee.
Donors making the event possible are Healthy Families, Brown County Guardian Ad Litem, Ireland Home-Based Services, The Toy Chest, Brown County Playhouse, Chocolate Moose, Brown County Probation, IGA and Columbus Walmart.
Local organizations including DCS, Brown County Guardian Ad Litem, Head Start, Nurse-Family Partnership, Brown County Schools, local law enforcement, READy to Read, CASY, Salvation Army, Anthem, Ireland Home Bases Services, Healthy Families, Brown County Public Library, Purdue Extension/4-H, Do Something Inc., Waycross Camp, Brown County Recovery and Wellness Coalition, Red Cross, the Brown County State Park Nature Center and Centerstone.
Centerstone is one of many community partners collaborating to make Family Festival possible. The organization will host a booth at the event with mental health resource information available here in Brown County and have some fun games for the kids too.
“The Family Fun Fest is all about community,” Centerstone Manager Mandy Kinnaird said.
“I hope this year, everyone that comes out feels the incredible warmth of community that makes Brown County such a special place to live.”
Kinnaird said that the event is a great place to get more information on resources that exist in Brown County.
“We are small but mighty,” she said.
“We have more supports for families here locally than people may realize.”
Everything at the event is free, including hair cuts, a bounce house, games, raffles and much more.
Most importantly, it is a chance for families to come out and have a great time together, Kinnaird said.
With April being Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Family Festival exemplifies how Brown County can come together to uplift one another and have a great time doing it, she said.
“Families knowing what resources exist and how to access them and being in community, feeling connected to and cared for by others, are protective factors that prevent child abuse,” she said.
“When parents and families have the support they need to thrive, the children are safer, happier, and healthier. Family Fun Fest is in honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month and recognizes the more we come to together in these ways, the stronger we are as a whole.”
“I hope that people can come out, have a good time, and just enjoy a fun evening with their families,” Dauterman said.
“Beyond that, we hope that people can learn about or get connected with at least one community resource that may be helpful for them or their family.”
Want to go?
Brown County Family Festival will be at Deer Run Park, 1001 Deer Run Lane, Tuesday, April 25, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The rain date is Thursday April 27. If ball practices cancel on April 25, the rain date will be moved.
The event is entirely free to the community. There will be activities for kids, bounce house, face painting and games. Community resource information will be available. For more information call 812-988-2239.
