National Child Abuse Prevention Month April 2019

Lake Elsinore, CA—April 7, 2019—They’re popping up in front yards, at community events, in front of City Halls, and now they are popping up among the poppies on the I-15! Along with blue ribbons, that have been tied to trees in Corona, along Temescal Canyon, and is another national symbol for child abuse prevention, pinwheels are spinning in the winds of change blowing around the state and nation this April during Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Month. They’re pinwheels and thousands of them have been distributed nationwide as a demonstration of the fast-growing belief that we can prevent—not just intervene in—child abuse and neglect.

The “Pinwheels for Prevention” movement is bringing the belief in prevention to life in several ways in communities around the state. The movement is based on the belief that we must do more than simply

respond to cases of abuse through prosecution and intervention—we need to provide programs and policies that focus on child development, engage communities and create conditions that allow parents to be the kinds of parents they want to be. These programs and policies include strategies such as home visiting, parent education, mutual self-help support, mental health services and substance abuse treatment.

• Sunday, April 7th: Pinwheels for Prevention in the poppies

Lake Elsinore, CA

• Wear and display Blue ribbons in April: on shirts, cars, trees, homes.

Blue Ribbons and Pinwheels for Prevention are the centerpiece of a growing movement of citizens and organizations committed to stopping child abuse before it has a chance to start. According to Prevent Child Abuse America, the economic impact of child abuse and neglect is $103.8 billion a year. Research documents pervasive and long-lasting effects of child abuse and neglect on children, their families and society as a whole. Effective child abuse prevention programs ensure the health and wellbeing of children and families, allowing children to grow into adults who prosper and contribute to society.

Pinwheels for Prevention is the grassroots signature campaign for PCAA and its 43 chapters nationwide. The pinwheel has come to symbolize a person’s commitment to truly preventative measures, such as home visitation services, parent education and the overall re-prioritization of our policies, programs and resources to ensure that every child is provided with a healthy, safe and nurturing home and an involved, supportive and caring community.

Priorities such as intervention and prosecution are important elements in protecting our children, but it is clear that more and more Americans are taking a stand for the early and comprehensive prevention of abuse, not just responding to it after it occurs.

Overcoming the tremendous imbalance between what we invest on the front end to prevent abuse and

neglect before it happens and what we spend consequently after it occurs is critical for our children,

families and communities.

For more information about the Pinwheels for Prevention and Blue Ribbon Campaign in the southwest region of Riverside County, contact Therese Fairbanks (951) 440-1050 or theresefairbanks9@gmail.com