On Saturday, October 26th at 7:00 pm, the streets of downtown Springfield will be filled with the sights and sounds of The Parent Place’s 7th Annual Halloween Parade. This family friendly parade includes lighted floats, musical entertainment, costumes, and candy. Says Bridgett Hammen, Executive Director of The Parent Place, regarding the parade she spearheaded 7 years ago, “We wanted to bring a safe, fun, free, family friendly activity to downtown.” They have certainly achieved that goal. The Halloween parade has became very popular, drawing a large crowd, and each year more downtown businesses and locations join in the fun. This year the Dana-Thomas House will have crafts and activities in the early afternoon, followed by a Trunk or Treat at St. Paul's Cathedral and trick or treating at the Lincoln’s Home neighborhood, the Old State Capitol, and the Governor’s Mansion. The weather forecast looks great, so plan to take advantage of these activities to kick off your Halloween festivities.
HSHS St. John's Children’s Hospital is the presenting sponsor for the parade. Proceeds from the parade benefit the important work of The Parent Place. Parenting can be challenging, even under the best of circumstances. The mission of The Parent Place is to prevent child abuse and neglect by teaching positive parenting. This local non-profit agency, currently located on South Grand Avenue West, has been fulfilling that mission since 1974 and is celebrating its 50th year in operation in 2024. The Parent Place serves over 5,000 clients per year. At the core of its mission are classes to develop and enhance parenting skills for moms and dads. However, the scope of services has expanded over the years. In situations where child custody between parents is at issue, the agency facilitates child-focused mediation and teaches positive co-parenting techniques. It also provides support for grandparents raising grandchildren. According to Director Hammen, one of the most rewarding things to see is the success achieved by fathers enrolled in the agency's father's engagement program which involves a sixteen week Nurturing Families for Dads class as well as supervised visits. Parent educators are able to observe the men grow and gain confidence in their parenting abilities and celebrate family reunification.
Since 2006, the agency has become well-known for its diaper pantry, which provides a monthly pack of diapers as well as education on issues such as nutrition, literacy, car seat safety, and healthy parent/child relationships to qualifying families with children aged two years or younger. The diaper pantry, which is based 100% on community donations, serves approximately 200 babies every month, babies who otherwise may have gone without a clean diaper. Through these and other programs, The Parent Place seeks to foster positive family environments across Springfield so that our next generation can grow and thrive. The Parent Place is another example of a local organization, supported by local individuals, helping make our community a better place.
To learn more, visit www.tppos.org.
