On Sept. 8 downtown Springfield will see its first Family FunFest, which will serve as a fundraiser for Prevent Child Abuse Illinois. The event will provide entertainment and activities for children and families while bringing awareness of PCA’s efforts and support the expansion of its various programs throughout the state. The nonprofit organization is a chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America, whose services focus on prevention of shaken baby syndrome, child sexual abuse, peer abuse, bullying and more.
FunFest will roll out a variety of acts, including the band Fun DMC, excerpts from shows from The Muni and Hoogland Center for the Arts, children’s music act Tater Tots Rock!, Springfield Dance Theatre, magician Randy Kalin and world record holding juggler Brian Pankey. Additionally, beloved fairy tale princesses from The Smile Company and other child-friendly characters will be roaming the event. FunFest goers will also have the chance to see animals from Henson Robinson Zoo, demonstrations and more.
According to Jeremy Goeckner, PCA’s director of communications, the group aims to make the event fun and affordable. “Tickets are $10, with children two and under free. We do have family packages available at a flat rate of $40 that can include up to eight people. This is a fundraiser, but we want people with large families to be able to come and not break the bank.
“We are also very excited about our virtual ticket option,” Goeckner continued. “This gives people who don’t live in or around Springfield the option to still support the cause by buying tickets for others. We would then use these tickets to give to groups such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, the YMCA and lower-income families that would not be able to attend otherwise.”
While this year’s FunFest is centrally located in the state, the possibility exists for expanding the event at some point. “We would love to someday expand this to multiple cities throughout the state as a sort of FunFest Day in Illinois,” said Goeckner. But for now, resources are keeping it to a one-city event.
Sponsors are helping defray costs, and 100 percent of profits will be directed to PCA’s various programs and training. Among the training that PCA Illinois offers is Trauma 101, a course discussing the best way to diagnose and deal with child trauma of all forms. They also offer Darkness 2 Light’s Stewards of Children program that teaches adults how to identify children at risk of sexual assault and how to react to those who have experienced sexual abuse. Other training topics include substance abuse, domestic violence, water safety and the Happiest Baby on the Block program.
“The most recent numbers released by DCFS show a drop in the instances of reported and indicated child abuse,” Goeckner said. “Illinois recorded a reduced number of indicated abuse claims in the areas of family abuse and sexual abuse. The total number of victims dropped from 32,000 in FY2016 to 29,000 in FY2017. This number is obviously still too high, but the drop shows us that the techniques we and our partners are implementing statewide are having an impact.”
FunFest attendees can know they are enjoying family-friendly activities while helping improve the lives of children around the state. For more information, go to www.springfieldfunfest.org, and for tickets visit illinoistimestix.com.
Janet Seitz is a Springfield marketing communications professional, writer and artist.
This article appears in Capital City Parent August 2018.
