CENTRAL TEXAS — April is Child Abuse Awareness Month.
Waco child advocates planted hundreds of pinwheels along West Waco Drive for "Go Blue Day," a local and national effort to emphasize the importance of preventing child abuse and neglect.
"The statistics around child abuse are staggering and need to be known," said Brook Davilla, director of MCH Family Outreach in Waco, also located on West Waco Drive.
“But that is not the full story. The message of hope is stronger. Our children are our future and as a community we can help make the future even brighter. Through our residential and community outreach programs we want to be a part of the message of hope.”
The grassroots initiative called "Pinwheels for Prevention" was started in 2008 by Prevent Child Abuse America.
Every April, child advocates across America show their support for preventing child abuse by planting pinwheels in the community. The pinwheel serves as a symbol of child abuse prevention.
The community is also invited to add to the pinwheel garden at West Waco Drive to support those working to end child abuse and support families and children in crisis.
“Our children deserve a childhood that is full of joy and hope,” she said. “It is our responsibility as a community to ensure that they have that opportunity. This national campaign is about protecting children, supporting families and communities and raising awareness by making a statement that our children are worth it.”
In Killeen, school district leaders met with nonprofit organizations outside of East Ward Elementary School on Friday to release a wave of balloons.
Of the over 200 children who died from abuse in Texas, one of those children came from Bell County.
