Rikki DuBois, Claire Norman and Erin Youngstrom stand at the Catholic Community Service booth on Saturday for SAFE Child Advocacy Center’s first Family Day at the Park at the Dimond Park Field House. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)

Rikki DuBois, Claire Norman and Erin Youngstrom stand at the Catholic Community Service booth on Saturday for SAFE Child Advocacy Center’s first Family Day at the Park at the Dimond Park Field House. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)

SAFE Child Advocacy Center hosts 1st Family Day at the Park

Providing resources and fun for children and families.

The Southeast Alaska Family Evaluation Child Advocacy Center on Saturday held its first Family Day at the Park at Dimond Park Field House. There were booths from several youth-serving organizations and agencies from within the community as well as child-friendly activities such as capture the flag, corn hole, bouncy house, as well as free food.

The SAFE Child Advocacy Center is a program within the Catholic Community Service, as well as being partnered with the Juneau Police Department and several other agencies in the community, all working together to care for abused children. Erin Youngstrom with the Catholic Community Service said much of SAFE’s mission is working closely with other agencies to provide outreach to the public.

“The SAFE Child Advocacy Center works with children and families who have gone through suspected cases of child abuse and a part of the SAFE Child Advocacy’s mission is childhood abuse prevention, which requires a lot of outreach and education to the public, one of those being creating positive childhood experiences,” said Youngstrom said. “All it takes is one positive, caring adult to make a difference in a child’s life.”

Families had the chance to meet youth-serving organizations like Zach Gordon Youth Center, Juneau Public Libraries, Glacier Swim Club, Girl Scouts of Alaska – Juneau, Juneau Glacier Valley Rotary, the TCentral Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska among others.

Rikki DuBois, Preventive Education Specialist for SAFE Child Advocacy Center said the focus of the event was to create a fun and safe space for families with their children to not only have fun but also educate themselves on the resources accessible to them.

“We have resources available, prevention education is something that we do, educating the community, we’re looking to reach average parents and adults in the community to engage them in efforts to prevent child abuse,” DuBois said. “We wanted to create an opportunity to provide fun and positive interactions between parents and children and then also provide other agencies within the community an opportunity to provide education about their particular programs, so helping connect families to the resources that exist in our community while also having a good time was exactly what we were looking for.”

• Contact reporter Jonson Kuhn at jonson.kuhn@juneauempire.com.

Officer Chris Umbs and Safety Bear were also in attendance for SAFE Advocacy’s first Family Day at the Park on Saturday. The Juneau Police Department is one of many organizations closely partnered with SAFE Child Advocacy Center to prevent child abuse and provide outreach and education to the community.(Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)

Officer Chris Umbs and Safety Bear were also in attendance for SAFE Advocacy’s first Family Day at the Park on Saturday. The Juneau Police Department is one of many organizations closely partnered with SAFE Child Advocacy Center to prevent child abuse and provide outreach and education to the community.(Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)

Many families came out to enjoy the fun and also visit with the various community agencies who had booths set up at the SAFE Child Advocacy Center’s first Family Day at the Park on Saturday at the Dimond Park Field House. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)

Many families came out to enjoy the fun and also visit with the various community agencies who had booths set up at the SAFE Child Advocacy Center’s first Family Day at the Park on Saturday at the Dimond Park Field House. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)

The SAFE Child Advocacy Center’s Day at the Park provided not only access to resources but also child-friendly activities such as capture the flag, corn hole, bouncy house, as well as free food. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)

The SAFE Child Advocacy Center’s Day at the Park provided not only access to resources but also child-friendly activities such as capture the flag, corn hole, bouncy house, as well as free food. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)

Families and children were given a chance to meet with youth-serving organizations like Zach Gordon Youth Center, Juneau Public Libraries, Glacier Swim Club, Girl Scouts of Alaska - Juneau, Juneau Glacier Valley Rotary, the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska among others at the SAFE Child Advocacy Center’s Family Day at the Park on Saturday. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)

Families and children were given a chance to meet with youth-serving organizations like Zach Gordon Youth Center, Juneau Public Libraries, Glacier Swim Club, Girl Scouts of Alaska – Juneau, Juneau Glacier Valley Rotary, the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska among others at the SAFE Child Advocacy Center’s Family Day at the Park on Saturday. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)

More in News

The Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Encore docks in Juneau in October, 2022. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)
Ships in Port for the Week of May 28

Here’s what to expect this week.

The Yées Ḵu.Oo Dancers perform at the end of the Celebration of Life Walk on Sunday at Bill Overstreet Park. The walk, hosted locally by Cancer Connection for more than two decades, occurs on National Cancer Survivors Day. This year’s local celebration featured the first bagpiper, Alaska Native dance group and Native land acknowledgement. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Bagpipes and dancers bring new life to annual cancer survivors walk

“Everyone is touched by cancer,” organizer says at Sunday event.

Chris Meade, a board member of Trail Mix and Juneau resident since 1991, uses a vibrating plate compactor to compress gravel leading to a viewing platform along the Kingfisher Pond Loop Trail on Saturday. (Mark Sabatini / Juneau Empire)
Trail Mix celebrates wild 30th birthday

Birds and the bears add ardor to outdoor trail improvement and cookout gathering.

The City and Borough of Juneau Harbormaster Enforcement vessel drives past the Dusky Rock which sits at Aurora Harbor. The vessel was towed there from Sandy beach Friday evening after three people died within a three-day period aboard the vessel while anchored offshore. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
Three people found dead on boat anchored off Sandy Beach

Drug use a possible factor in deaths of one man and two women during three-day span

The Mendenhall Glacier and surrounding area is seen under an overcast sky on May 12. A federal order published Friday bans mineral extraction activities such as mining in an expanded area of land surrounding the glacier for the next 20 years. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)
Feds expand ban on mineral extraction near Mendenhall Glacier

20-year prohibition on mining, oil drilling applies to newly exposed land as ice continues retreat

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
Police calls for Thursday, June 1, 2023

This report contains information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Bulk food in Food Bank of Alaska’s Anchorage warehouse on April 21. (Photo by Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)
State roughly halves the number of Alaskans waiting on food aid, but more than 8,000 remain

By Claire Stremple, Alaska Beacon Mary Wood has been waiting for food… Continue reading

A white butterfly rests upon a fern Saturday at Prince of Wales Island. (Courtesy Photo / Marti Crutcher)
Wild Shots

Reader-submitted photos of Mother Nature in Southeast Alaska.

Photos by Lee House / Sitka Conservation Society
Aliyah Merculief focuses on her run while snowboarding at Snow Camp.
Resilient Peoples & Place: Bringing up a new generation of Indigenous snow shredders

“Yak’éi i yaada xwalgeiní” (“it is good to see your face”) reads… Continue reading

Most Read