April: Child Abuse Prevention Month

Last summer I was at a barbecue at my sister in-law’s house. Shes a Lula Roe consultant and has literally transformed half of her house into a walk-in closet for her business. Her drive and her loving compassionate soul has allowed her to become quite successful, she’s great at reading energy and finding pieces that fit your personality. However, I am not much of a shopper. I don’t have the patience for it but she encouraged me to take a peek anyway. I ended up choosing a skirt that I had no idea where or when I would wear it, but I loved the way it fit. It had a beautiful blue pinwheel design. It then proceeded to sit in the back of my closet with the rest of my clothes that I never wear but refuse to get rid of. (EEK WHEN WILL I GROW OUT OF THIS PROBLEM?)

Fast forward a couple months and I decided to apply a job at a Child Advocacy Center on indeed on a whim. I half forgot about it until I received a call asking for me to come in for an interview. I was elated. The post-graduation job search agony is something I would not wish on anyone. I had a little experience with CAC’s (Child Advocacy Centers) from my internship the previous year, and the position was only part- time so I was confident I would be a good fit. Two interviews later and I had the job as a Prevention and Education Specialist at Safe and Sound Child Advocacy Center.

Time flies by, as it typically does in the non-profit world and after six months on the job it is time to begin planning what my boss explained as “My Big Month”. April was decreed National Child Abuse Prevention Month in 1985 to recognize the importance of families and communities working together to prevent child abuse and neglect and to promote the social and emotional well-being of children and families. During the month of April, communities are encouraged to increase awareness and provide education and support to families and children. The symbol for Child Abuse Prevention is a blue pinwheel. The blue pinwheel symbolizes the hope, health, and happiness deserving of every child.

Me outside our agency the day of our Pinwheel Garden Ceremony 2019

I truly believe that fate has a funny way of making things work out in ways you never expected. (How CLICHE) I have no idea what drew me to that pinwheel skirt so many months before, but I do know that I have found where I belong. As April is coming to an end, I am looking forward to a slower- paced May but am so grateful for the challenges and successes my first #CAPMonth brought. Our agency was able to pull off three very successful community awareness events as well as raise a significant amount of money for Prevention services. We even made it into the local newspaper a couple times. The theme for this #CAPMonth was #ThePowerOfOne. One pinwheel raises awareness, one dollar supports action, one voice changes perspective, one action changes a child’s life. Its amazing what one person can accomplish when they are not only motivated, but inspired. In Prevention, the entire community has a role and when the entire community takes responsibility for creating healthy environments for children, we lay the foundation for growth and development. We can all be every day superheroes.

To find out more about Safe and Sound Child Advocacy and the work that we do in our community check us out at: www.safeandsoundcac.org