My hands are for Helping and caring

he face of a 2-year-old says everything — the inquisitive look when they are figuring something out for the first time, the guilty look when they are doing something they know they shouldn't, and the glee in their eyes when surrounded by love.

But an alarming number of faces on 2-year-olds -- and children of all ages -- tells a much different story. That story is filled with neglect, verbal abuse, sexual abuse and abandonment. In Alaska, the number of abuse cases is staggeringly high, and next week, something is being done about it, right here in the Valley.

Statewide, April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. Next week, the Alaska Child Abuse Prevention Network, the Alaska Children's Trust and HRC, Inc.. are presenting Family Week, with fun and educational activities planned each night, Monday through Friday, at the HRC Resource Room in the Westside Center on the Parks Highway.

"This is the first time we've done Family Week. We want it to be a positive thing for the families in our area," said Faith Taves of HRC.

The statistics surrounding child abuse are simply overwhelming. According to the Alaska Division of Family and Youth Services, there were 15,989 cases or reported abuse from February 2002 through February 2003. That's an average of 1,332 cases a month -- and that only includes cases that were reported to DFYS. Thousands more may not even be recorded, but there is still a child suffering.

At Family Week, parents and children will get an opportunity to have fun, but also a chance to learn how to reverse those numbers. Through entertaining activities, positive ideas will get out, organizers said.

"We're going to have a craft table set up for parents and their children to do things, and computers available. It's a departure from what we normally do -- a little bit different types of things for the families," Taves said.

On Monday, the theme is "stress busters." On Tuesday, children and parents can design their own book. Wednesday is "warm fuzzies" day, and on Thursday, families can do hand prints. The week wraps up with stick puppet day on Friday. Throughout the week, there will be parent/child computer time available, with emphasis on family-oriented Internet sites and games. There will be safety information available throughout the program, and kids can make photo buttons or ID cards for no charge. The program is a "drop-in" event, and it is open all day until around 4 p.m. Taves said.

There is a separate workshop scheduled for Thursday night at Wasilla High School. "An End to Child Abuse in Our Time" is being presented by The Children's Place, Valley CASA program and the Alaska Child Abuse Prevention Network. The forum runs from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the WHS theater, and child care will be provided.

"We're having what we call 'authentic speakers,' people who, say, were abused as children or went through the foster care program, and now they can relate their experiences as adults," Taves said.

The forum will cover such topics as what child abuse is, its impact on the community and what people can do to help prevent abuse from happening. For more information on the forum, interested people can call The Children's Place at 357-5157 or e-mail children@mtaonline.net.

Because it is Child Abuse Awareness Month, the Alaska Children's Flag is flying above city hall throughout April, Taves said.