WATSONVILLE — After 10 years of the Walk to Stop the Silence, organizers have created a different event that aims to bring more families together while still spreading the message of safety for all children.
In commemoration of National Child Abuse Awareness Month, Survivors Healing Center’s first Caring 4 Kids Rhythm Event, in partnership with the City of Watsonville, is scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Watsonville Plaza, during the annual Earth Day/Day of the Child festivities, which runs from noon to 4 p.m.
Kathy Riley, an activist with Survivors Healing Center for 27 years, said Caring 4 Kids is not only about focusing on the issue of child sexual abuse nationwide, but it is an opportunity to celebrate children and families.
From 3-3:30 p.m., Don Davidson will bring more than 200 percussion instruments, such as bells and rattles, and will encourage families to play along and make music together. From 3:30-4 p.m., ice cream will be offered for families.
The group also hopes to distribute 500 coloring books that teach children the difference between “good touch” and “bad touch.”
“With the Day of the Child/Earth Day event, thousands of people come out,” Riley said. “We wanted to reach a lot more families.”
Riley said awareness has been heightened around the issue of child sexual abuse compared to a decade ago when the Walk to Stop the Silence was first formed.
“There’s been a lot more positive response than there was 10 years ago,” she said.
But, “there’s a lot of it still happening, and a lot that we need to continue to be aware of,” she added.
According to Riley, about 90 percent of sexual abuse happens with someone the child knows. Adults who were abused as children may have negative self-esteem and may make poor decisions later in life, she said.
Giving families and children support is one of the main missions of Survivors Healing Center, which, among other programs, offers group therapy to survivors of child sexual abuse.
“We want to break the cycle, and have a lot more children that are raised in homes where they feel loved and safe and protected,” Riley said. “From our standpoint, we need to educate both parents and caregivers and help children understand that their bodies are theirs.”
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For information, visit www.survivorshealingcenter.org or caringforkidsevent.com. If it rains on Sunday, Caring 4 Kids will take place at the Gene Hoularis and Waldo Rodriguez Youth Center, 30 Maple Ave.
