Community Rallies Together for Child Abuse Prevention

On Thursday, April 9, at least forty members of the Glennallen community rallied for the annual Go Blue Day walk to raise awareness against child abuse. The turnout included children, families, several troopers and VSPO workers, and employees of the Copper River Basin Child Advocacy Center (CAC), who sponsored this event.

Blue is a national symbol of child abuse prevention. Blue pinwheels were placed in front of the Copper Valley Telecom office. Participants were encouraged to wear blue and carry signs and blue pinwheels while they walked from the Copper Valley Telecom office on the Glenn Highway to the American Legion Hall, a little over a mile away. 

The CAC also sponsored a Go Blue Day walk in Valdez on Tuesday, April 7. Go Blue Day is in early April and coincides with National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

According to the Alaska Children’s Alliance website, Alaska has one of the highest child abuse and neglect rates in the nation. More than one out of every three children born in Alaska have contact with Child Welfare before they reach the age of ten. 

The Copper River Basin CAC is attempting to protect the children in the Copper River area by raising awareness, educating school staff and law enforcement, and supporting families and children when allegations of abuse are raised. The CAC provides services in Glennallen, Valdez, Tok, and other surrounding communities. 

Gina Hoke, who has served as the CAC’s executive director since 2011, said that in the past year they have noted a decrease in cases being referred to their offices. This could be due to the general ebb and flow of reporting instances, but it is also possible that the number of children experiencing abuse is on the decline. 

The CAC conducts forensic interviews and seeks to reduce the instances of child abuse by providing in-person training regarding mandatory reporting in schools, leading classroom discussions on healthy boundaries, and organizing community outreach events like Go Blue Day and their annual Christmas tree lighting in December.

Scott Somers, CAC’s board president and this author’s husband, says he enjoys working with the CAC because it allows him to “be a part of something bigger than myself that services the most vulnerable people in our community.”