JACKSON, Mo. – The Green Bear Project hosts the 4th annual A Day in the Park with Green Bear to bring awareness to National Child Abuse Prevention Month Jackson, MO. April 14, 2025.
The Green Bear Project is hosting its 4th annual A Day in the Park with Green Bear event to promote awareness of its abuse prevention programs and National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
The Green Bear Project was founded in 2001 with a mission to educate the community about child abuse.
April is also National Child Abuse Prevention Month, bringing awareness to the importance of strengthening families and preventing child abuse and neglect.
Leasa Stone, Prevention Education Coordinator and Green Bear Founder, had a vision for Day in the Park years ago, “I want families to be educated while also having a fun day out! This event really is for everyone.”.
Stone knows the importance of balance, having fun while also educating, “Talking to children early and often about child abuse is key to prevention.
Talking about abuse doesn’t have to be scary; Green Bear helps make that conversation easier for kids and their families.”
A Day in the Park with Green Bear will be held at Cape County Park South on Saturday, April 26, 2025, from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm. The event is free and open to anyone who wishes to attend.
Organizations and vendors from all over will be present, with activities and experiences for families.
Some of the organizations in attendance at the 2025 event will be the Safe House of Southeast Missouri, SEMO Pets, Cape Girardeau Public Library, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Missouri, Discovery Playhouse, KRCU, Music for the Mind, SEMO Alliance for Disability Independence (SADI), Cape Girardeau Fire Department, Cape Girardeau Police Department, Jackson Fire Department, Craftsmen Cares, Fox 23 My 49 TV, SEMO Suicide Prevention Inc., SEMO Food Bank, BACA, just to name a few.
Children in attendance can expect free snow cones from Ty’s Summer Sno, free hotdogs from the Kiwanis Club of Cape Girardeau, and a coloring contest. Last year’s event saw over 550 children and families in attendance.
“It’s such a fun day! The Green Bear Project wants to give back to the community and bring awareness to these important topics,” says Alix Gasser, Executive Director of Southeast Missouri Network Against Sexual Violence. “There is something for everyone; I promise you’ll have a blast!”
Thank you to our Forest Level Sponsors Fox 23 My49 TV, Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau, and Ameren Missouri.
If you’d like to see the Green Bear Project offered at your school, please contact Leasa Stone at lstone@semonasv.org.
For more information about The Green Bear Program or the event, please visit
www.greenbearmo.org, or for SEMO-NASV at www.semonasv.org.
If you have or are experiencing sexual violence, you can call SEMO-NASV’s 24-hour crisis hotline at (877) 820-6278.