National Child Abuse Prevention Month 2008

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect and encourage families and communities to support children and families. 

The Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) network agencies are supporting this important commemorative month with events, proclamations, community activities and public relations outreach.  As they do year round, these agencies are making a difference in their communities with their commitment to healthy families.

Several agencies are organizing the planting of pinwheels to represent each case of child abuse/neglect reported in their areas for 2007.  Pinwheels for Prevention is the centerpiece of a national signature campaign by Prevent Child Abuse America.  Pinwheels were chosen as a symbol for what all of the prevent child abuse organizations strive for -- carefree, happy, healthy children who are safe in their homes and communities.

Click on the links below to find out more about April activities for these PSSF network agencies:

Advocates for Bartow’s Children

CASA of Troup County

Cherokee Child Advocacy Council

Children’s Advocacy Center of Lowndes Co.

Cobb County Community Services Board

Family Support Council

Pickens County Council on Child Abuse

Piedmont CASA

Prevent Child Abuse Athens

SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center

Support in Abusive Family Emergencies

For more information about each of the PSSF network agencies and their programs, visit the Family Service Resource Guide.

• www.childwelfare.gov/preventing
• http://www.preventchildabusegeorgia.org/

• 1 minute radio PSA for entire month of April on a local radio station

• Weekly local newspaper (Daily Tribune News) inserts for April
  • Week 1: “What is Child Abuse & Neglect?”
  • Week 2: “Why does Child Abuse Occur?”
  • Week 3: “What are the Warning Signs of Child Abuse?”
  • Week 4: “Reporting Child Abuse”

• 1139 Pinwheels to be “planted” at Northside Bank in Adairsville and Wachovia Bank in Cartersville on March 27 & 28 by bank volunteers and high school students. Pinwheels will remain for the entire month of April. An information sign will be placed in the yard at Wachovia Bank in Cartersville. Information regarding the pinwheels will be displayed on the jumbotron at Northside Bank.

• A press conference will be held on Tuesday, April 8 at 12 noon,  at Wachovia Bank in Cartersville.  Invitees include Mayor Matt Santini, David Earnest, Prevent Child Abuse Georgia, corporate partners of Advocates for Children, and school board members.

• Annual Fundraising Banquet, Saturday, April 12, 2008

7:00PM at the Mighty Air Force Museum, 175 Bourne Ave., Savannah, GA

Theme:  How Are the Children?

Featuring Guest Speaker: 

 

For tickets and information, please call 912-876-3816

Candler County Family Connection is partnering with Candler County Child Abuse to sponsor a slogan contest on child abuse throughout the area school system and present awards to the winners.  In addition, the agencies will co-host a business-after-hours event to plant pinwheels for all documented child abuse cases in Candler County.  The event will be held on April 15 at the Candler County Court House at 5:30 PM.

• Newspaper Features

Ø   There will be an article concerning child abuse and neglect in the LaGrange Daily News. The article will address the child abuse and neglect statistics in Troup County as well as Troup CASA's role in advocating for these children and the importance of the CASA volunteers.

Ø   Meg Greer, Miss Troup County, will be featured in another newspaper article. Her platform is child abuse and neglect with an emphasis on CASA. Her sorority is Kappa Alpha Theta, and their national philanthropy cause is CASA.  Meg's popularity in the community makes her a wonderful spokesperson.

• CASA of Troup County Friend of Children Award

CASA of Troup County presented Meg Greer with our first CASA of Troup County Friend of Children Award. The article is scheduled to appear in the paper during the first week of April.

• Television Coverage

Ann Hupp and Meg Greer taped a television show that addressed child abuse in Troup County and what the community can do to support CASA. The show is running for two weeks.

• Rotary Club & Church Announcements

An announcement will be made to Rotary, and CASA brochures will be distributed to all members. Notices will be sent to local churches to include in their church bulletins or newsletters.

• Annual Report

The annual report to CASA donors is scheduled to be mailed during the second week of April. It will serve as one more opportunity to promote Child Abuse Prevention Month. 
 

• April 1 at 6:00 p.m. in the Cherokee County Justice Center -- Proclamation presentation by the Cherokee County Commissioners for Child Abuse Prevention Month
• April 5 from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Canton Library -- Parents HELP Workshop and Children’s Activity Session
• April 11 from 2-5 p.m. at the Anna Crawford Children’s Center -- Rededication Ceremony from 2-4 and Public Open House from 4-5
• April 22 at dusk at the gazebo in downtown Canton – CASA’s Light of Hope Event
• April 25 from 2-5 p.m. at the Children’s Stabilization and Assessment Center in Canton -- Dedication Ceremony and Ribbon Cutting with Reception 
• April 27 from 11:30-3:30 at the Children’s Stabilization and Assessment Center in Canton -- Public Open House and BBQ

• Blue Ribbon Campaign Kickoff Breakfast – March 28

Ø   Proclamation of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month by Mayor John Fretti

Ø   “Taking Care of the Caretaker” - Pat Puckett, SGMC, Director of Women & Children’s Services

• Blue Ribbon Campaign Kickoff  - Downtown Valdosta – March 28

Ø   City Hall Lawn placement of pinwheels and hanging of bows on light posts in downtown Valdosta.  Co-sponsored with Prevent Child Abuse Lowndes County, Valdosta Main Street/Central Valdosta Development Authority and The Flower Gallery.

Program:  Mothers Making A Change

To emphasize the importance of and raise awareness about child abuse and neglect, the consumers and staff of Mothers Making A Change will commemorate Prevent Child Abuse Month by:

Ø   Having a panel discussion during regular class session as part of the curriculum used, which is Child Abuse & Neglect (CAN) written by Cynthia Davis and illustrated by Andrew Davis.

Ø   Exhibiting a display in the lobby of the facility (pamphlets, handouts, etc.).

Ø   Presenting an awareness speech during a Family Dynamics class.   

Ø   Designing a bulletin board.

• Heroes Against Child Abuse

As part of the prevention message, a Heroes Against Child Abuse fundraiser is implemented at many of the area schools to raise money for programs such as Camp AIM (a local camp for sexually abused children) and the Kids on the Block puppet show, which teaches all 2nd and 3rd graders in three local schools systems about personal safety.  Both of these programs are provided at no charge to the participants.  About 6,000 children are reached through these programs each year.  Every year a Heroes Against Child Abuse t-shirt is designed with the support of local businesses, whose names are listed on the back of every shirt.  Individuals, businesses, and schools that participate in the Heroes campaign will be honored at the Pinwheels for Prevention Ceremony in Whitfield and Murray Counties in April.

• Pinwheels for Prevention Events – April 10 and April 23

The Family Support Council in collaboration with the local Department of Family and Children Services and Murray and Whitfield Family Connection Initiatives will sponsor the annual Pinwheels for Prevention Event in both Whitfield and Murray Counties.  Pinwheels representing the number of reported cases of abuse and neglect in each county are placed on the lawn of the Dalton City Hall in Whitfield and on the Court House lawn in Murray County.  Wooden houses painted by children will sit among the pinwheels, representing the number of foster homes in each county.

This year the theme will be “Valuing Children, Strengthening Families, and Building Healthy Communities.”  The Honorable Judge Cindy Morris, a former family law attorney and friend of children, will be the keynote speaker at each of the events.  The Whitfield County event will take place on Thursday, April 10 at noon at the Dalton City Hall with children from City Park Elementary School opening with a song.  Children from Chatsworth Elementary School will be featured at the Murray County Pinwheels Event on Wednesday, April 23 at noon at the Murray County Court House.  Foster parents will be honored at both events, and materials on child abuse will be distributed at each site. 

• Public Relations Activities

During the month of April, there will also be public service announcements, television and radio coverage, and articles in the newspaper.

• April 8, 2008 - Recognition/Awareness Luncheon
  Exchange Club of Brunswick
  Keynote Speaker: Dr. David Earnest, Prevent Child Abuse Georgia

• April 9, 2008 - Open House
  Golden Isles Children's Center, Inc.
  2514 Wren Street
  Brunswick, Ga 31520

• April 24 & 25, 2008 - Protocol Development & Revision Meetings
  Brunswick Judicial Circuit Multi-Disciplinary Participants

• Church and Civic Speaking Engagements

Prevent Child Abuse Pickens is sponsoring several community-wide events for Child Abuse Prevention month:

•  April 1 – 534 Pinwheels placed on the courthouse lawn in Jasper to represent each case of child abuse/neglect reported for 2007.  Pinwheels donated by the Rotary Club.  CASA and DFACS participate in placing the pinwheels along with Healthy Families participants.

• April 7 – “Change for a Change” Buckets placed in all grades at three elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school.  All students are sent home with letters explaining Child Abuse Prevention Month and encouraged to bring coins to school and place them in buckets.  The winning class at each school receives a pizza party and is recognized in the paper.  One principal agreed to have water balloons thrown at him by the winning class.  The winning teacher in each school also receives a gift certificate donated by local restaurants. 

• April 11, 12, and 19 – Pinwheel Roadblock -- Staff and volunteers are placed in various locations at stop signs throughout the town.  For a donation, people are given a pinwheel.  It is always done in conjunction with opening season of Little League when there is a lot of traffic.  Last year we collected over $4,000 in a matter of 9 hours.  Everyone in the community now identifies Prevent Child Abuse Pickens with the pinwheels. 

• Pinwheel coloring sheets and other projects are sent home with children attending day care and Head Start.

• Parenting information presented in the local paper weekly.

Prevent Child Abuse America is using the pinwheel as the centerpiece of their national signature campaign – Pinwheels for Prevention.  PCA Georgia uses the pinwheel as a symbol for carefree, happy, healthy children who are safe in their homes and communities.  As PCA America develops this campaign, the pinwheel will become their national symbol for child abuse prevention – not just in April, but all year long.

• Family Event at Safety Zone in Banks County - April 8 at 6:00 p.m. will be an event for children and families.  The Director will speak, along with the Juvenile Court Judge and DFCS director.  Child safety will be emphasized.
• Jackson County Pinwheels for Prevention - Tuesday, April 15, 4:30 p.m., downtown Jefferson. 
•  Barrow County Pinwheels for Prevention – Saturday, April 26, from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. in conjunction with Barrow Regional Medical Center's Health Fair. 

At each event, a pinwheel will be placed in the ground to coincide with each substantiated case of child abuse and neglect in that county.  Speakers will talk about child abuse and neglect in the area, what is being done to combat it, and how citizens can help.  News about each event will be published in the paper prior to and after each event.

 

Prevent Child Abuse Athens (PCAA) and St. Mary's Hospital displayed 1,440 pinwheels, representing the number of children served by PCAA in 2007 - each an opportunity for prevention.	PCAA student interns lead the way to the Prevent Child Abuse Walk in Athens on March 29.
The Dyleski family walks and strolls to the family-friendly Prevent Child Abuse Walk.	Athens Mayor Heidi Davison welcomed more than 175 participants to the Athens Walk, where she also proclaimed April "Child Abuse Prevention Month" in the city.

Ø   A community education session titled 'Positive Parenting----Stronger Families'  - Sat, April 5, from 10-12 at First Presbyterian Church in Athens. Co-sponsor is Athens Parent Magazine. There will be an opening session and 3 break-out discussion groups. There is no charge, childcare is provided, and pizza will be donated by Papa John's for lunch.

Call 706-546-9713 or visit www.pcaathens.org to register or for more information.

STARRY NIGHT BENEFIT – The annual Starry Starry Night dinner and auction

 to raise funds to support the programs of Prevent Child Abuse Athens was held in

March.  Left to right: PCAA President Elect Thomas and Lisa Hollingsworth;

Georgia State Representative Doug and Mary McKillip.

SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center is pleased to announce that Governor Sonny Perdue will be hosting SafePath and their Junior League partners in his office on Thursday, April 10.  In celebration of April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Governor will present a Commendation to SafePath for its work with abused children in Cobb County and for forging the partnership with Junior League of Cobb-Marietta to protect children.

Members of the Junior League who will be attending are, Angie Fowler, president; Carey Merritt, president-elect; Hope Branicki, vice president, community; and Jennifer Johnson Lynch, fund development.  They will be joining SafePath’s executive director, Jinger Robins and fund development, Ginger Gilbert.  The group will have a chance to talk with the Governor about child safety and have their photo taken with him.  In the picture (left), Governor Sonny Perdue hugs Jackson and Harrison Kelley, children of SafePath’s Volunteer Coordinator Leigh Kelley.

April Proclaimed Child Abuse Prevention Month for Cobb County

On Tuesday, March 25, 2008, Chairman Sam Olens of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners proclaimed April as Child Abuse Prevention Month for Cobb.  The framed proclamation was read by Chairman Olens at the Board of Commissioners meeting and will be presented to SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center.  Special guests were Junior League of Cobb-Marietta, members of the Board of Directors, staff, volunteers and supporters.

In addition to the proclamation, the Cobb community will recognize Child Abuse Prevention Month with several activities throughout April.  Blue pinwheels will be placed in the lawn where SafePath is located, representing all of the children who have been abused; a candlelight vigil on the square in Marietta will be held to remember sexual assault victims, and a memorial service for crime victims is scheduled at Northside United Methodist Church.

Other activities taking place throughout Cobb County include:

April 13 – 19, 2008 - Crime Victim’s Rights Week: “Justice for Victims. Justice for All.”

April 13, 2008, 7:00pm - Crime Victims Memorial Service held at Northside United Methodist Church

April 24, 2008, 6:00 pm - Sexual Assault Awareness Vigil held at Marietta Square

•  Public Service Announcements will be broadcast over our local cable community channels and various local radio stations throughout the month of April.

• The agency is partnering with local agencies to present, “What to Do if You Suspect Child Sexual Abuse.”  This is a forum-style presentation for both Union and Towns County communities. 

• Prevent Child Abuse Month Proclamation signings:

Ø      Towns County Commissioner signing, March 10

Ø      Union County Commissioner signing, March 20

Ø      Young Harris College signing, March 26

Newspapers were at each event to take pictures. Articles will run during the month of April along with the pictures of each signing.

Union County Proclamation Signing -- From left to right, Margie Porter (SAFE Board of Director Member), Suzie Adelmann (SAFE/Sexual Assault Program Director), Jan Rogers (SAFE/Enotah Child Advocacy and Family Visitation Program Director), and Lamar Paris (Union County Commissioner). 

• On March 25, the agency joined with the Sexual Assault Program in presenting the Towns County Sheriff's Office with an Alternative Light Source for use with sexual assault victims.

• Child Abuse Prevention presentations were made to the staff at Synergy Medical on March 25.  They will distribute family tips sheets to all patients during the month of April.

• The Child Abuse Prevention Month resource packet is being distributed to schools, churches, and other community agencies/organizations.