You may have noticed blue pinwheels around Frankfort this spring. They represent happy and healthy childhoods and are planted each April to commemorate Child Abuse Prevention Month (CAPM). The purpose of CAPM is to raise community awareness of strategies that strengthen families and prevent child maltreatment. The goal is not to focus on educating people about abuse and neglect; rather, it is to help them realize the impact they can have on families in their community and give them tools to prevent the harm before it occurs.
This year’s CAPM theme is “Pinwheels of Possibility,” and I believe it will resonate with you as a member of a congregation focused on experiencing and expressing God’s unconditional love. Like God’s love, childhood should be full of comfort, grace, opportunity, safety, and security. As neighbors, friends, and Christians, it is our responsibility to support families and our community.
I encourage you to look into protective factors against child maltreatment and research on positive and adverse childhood experiences. We have a lot to be proud of regarding our efforts to help “the least of these” in our community. IBC excels at providing concrete support in times of need for families and opportunities for social connections but what else could we do? What could you do to help a family in need? Sometimes, something as simple as acknowledging that a new parent is doing a great job or sharing a community or church event with a neighbor can have an incredible impact.
There are a ton of ways you can help Frankfort children to experience the lifetime of possibility they deserve. You’ll hear from me throughout the month, but I am available to talk about prevention, what the IRC is doing to meet tangible needs in the community, and what opportunities exist in Frankfort if you’d like to volunteer your time or money to prevent child abuse in April, or year-round.
Please join me in wearing blue on April 26th to celebrate Blue Sunday, an opportunity for faith-based communities across the country to promote our role in preventing child maltreatment.
– Sara Jenkins