Perhaps you have noticed the bright blue pinwheel “garden” planted at the Wayne County Administrative Building on the square in honor of National Child Abuse Prevention month. In 2008, Prevent Child Abuse America introduced the Pinwheels for Prevention campaign. Research showed that people respond positively to pinwheels, which represent childlike whimsy and lightheartedness. Shining in the sun, the pinwheel is reflective of the bright future all children deserve.
Pinwheel gardens represent the effort to focus on community activities that support families and public policies that prioritize prevention right from the start to make sure child abuse and neglect never occur. The rainy weather last week hindered the project of placing pinwheels at different locations around the county, but that will hopefully take place in the coming weeks.
Kid’s Place Child Advocacy Center specializes in serving child victims of sexual abuse and severe physical abuse and their participating caregivers in Lawrence, Giles, Maury, and Wayne Counties in southern Middle Tennessee. They are the only state certified Child Advocacy Center within these counties to provide free services to child victims of abuse. Their services include investigative interviews, forensic medical exams, therapy, family advocacy, and preventive & community awareness. They specialize in treating childhood trauma of sexual abuse, physical abuse, exposure to meth, witness to domestic abuse, and witness to homicide. They also offer free training in preventing, reporting, and detecting child abuse for parents and professionals in the communities they serve.
Wayne County Executive Jim Mangubat signed a Proclamation on Tuesday, April 9, declaring April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, which is observed annually in the State of Tennessee. The staff of Kid’s Place Child Advocacy Center placed pinwheels in different locations around the county as a way of demonstrating commitment to building a healthy community and investing in the lives of children.
Kid’s Place has a direct impact on the children and families impacted by severe child abuse in Wayne County each year. In 2023, they conducted 21 child-focused forensic interviews, placed 13 children in trauma-focused mental health therapy, and provided Advocate Support for 25 families in Wayne County. These statistics are surprising and very sad for those who do not realize the full scope of child abuse that happens right here in our county.
Kid’s Place Child Advocacy Center offers many different ways that supporters of their mission can help. Some of the things supporters can do include:
- Holding a food/hygiene drive
- Purchase items from the Amazon Wish List
- Sponsor a child/family at Christmas
- Volunteer to be a Kid’s Place Wayne County board member
For more information on Kid’s Place or how you can help, visit their website at www.kpcac.org or their Facebook page, Kid’s Place/A Child Advocacy Center.
