Preparing for April: Keeping Families Strong Month
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month or as Be Strong Families likes to reframe it: Keeping Families Strong Month. We know that child abuse prevention is important, laudable, and a low bar. We also know that parents are the people who prevent child abuse. How do they do that? By strengthening their families, by building protective factors. This is the heart of Parent Cafés. This year, Be Strong Families is starting something new for Child Abuse Prevention month: the Family Strong Family Fun Fest.
In honor of and to preserve the legacy of Marjorie Fujara, MD, child abuse pediatrician, violence prevention advocate, former Be Strong Families board member and organizational partner, we are partnering with the City of Evanston, Illinois to host an “Evanston is Family Strong Family Fun Fest” . On April 30, from 12pm to 4:30pm, at the Robert Crown Center in Marjorie’s home town, we will be going all out to bring families together, assist them with meeting other families, connect them with resources in the community, and provide a great time for parents and their children. There will be a community art project, a battle of the teenage bands, yoga, ice-skating, theater improv games, a drum circle, interactive martial arts demonstration, celebrity readers and free books for kids, a video tribute to Marjorie Fujara co-created by Be Strong Families and Marjorie’s son, old-fashioned game playing — including Questionable The Game. We have more than 20 organizations at the resource fair - everything from mental health and health service providers, to a local bank offering family literacy info, crisis nursery, community gardening, family support providers, young entrepreneurs, City Department of Parks and Recreation, educational resources. We hope this will be the kick-off of an annual event in Evanston and that we will also be able to partner regionally to launch fests around the country. Research says that when parents reduce stress, get connected rather than isolated, and have concrete resources to address urgent needs, child welfare systems involvement goes down. What better way to accomplish this than at a party?!
So if you’re in the area on April 30, please come! Donate to the Marjorie Fujara Memorial Fund for Parent Engagement in Child Abuse Prevention to expand the work. Contact Kathryn Goetz if you’d like to partner next April on bringing a Family Strong event to your area.
