Hands Around the Courthouse event in Wausau raises awareness of child abuse and supporting families in need

WAUSAU − On Thursday, Marathon County officials and community members gathered at the courthouse to send a message that everyone can make a difference in strengthening Marathon County's families and making things better for children.

Hands Around the Courthouse is an observance that has taken place in April in Marathon County for the past seven years, with one year missed because of COVID, said Christa Jensen, Marathon County director of social services. At 3 p.m. Thursday, a small group gathered to take part in this year's event, held to raise awareness of child abuse and families in need.

Traditionally, April has been recognized as Child Abuse Prevention Month in the United States. Within the past two years, the name has changed to Strengthening Families Month. The change helps remind people that it takes everyone in a community to keep families strong and prevent things from getting to a point where frustration can lead to abuse, Jensen said.

"When we support families, we have a better outcome," Jensen said.

The safety of children and families has been and continues to be one of Marathon County's primary focuses, said Lance Leonhard, Marathon County administrator. The county has supported a variety of Marathon County social services and other programs to help struggling families including Family Keys, which helps families without a place to live find a home.

"We have a great team here in Marathon County of dedicated professionals to strengthen families and innovative programs to do that," Leonhard said.

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Marathon County Sheriff Chad Billeb said Hands Around the Courthouse gives residents the chance to recognize the teams in the county that do the work to help children and families. Children of Wisconsin-Wausau and the Wausau Child Advocacy Center work hard to help, but sometimes they struggle from a lack of funding, Billeb said. The Wisconsin Legislature came together to provide money for the programs this year and Marathon County did receive help, but it was less then they have received in the past.

"Our local Advocacy Center is at risk for not providing critical services," Billeb said.

It's important for people in the community to know that every little act can have a large impact, Leonhard said. One positive adult relationship can have a monumental impact on a child's life.

"We all have the opportunity to engage and at various points to be a positive role model," Leonhard said.

Marathon County always needs foster families, Billeb said. Foster families are needed all over the state to help children, he said. Single adults can foster a child too. The only requirement is the foster parent be at least 21 years old.

If people want to help, they can reach out to Youth Opportunity Center in Wausau, which provides accountability and prevention services for at-risk youth, Jensen said. People can also contact local schools and ask how they can help, she said.

If you know a mother with five children who needs to get to the store to buy milk, offering to go and buy the milk for her can make a huge difference, Jensen said. The mother doesn't have to leave her children home alone or struggle to take them with her. If a parent is struggling to juggle their groceries and their children in a parking lot, just offering a hand and letting the parent know they aren't alone and other people have been through it can mean everything, Jensen said.

Contact Karen Madden at 715-345-2245 or kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen.madden.33.

This article originally appeared on Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune: Marathon County residents gather for Hands Around the Courthouse event