April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the Sunflower CASA Project in Manhattan is partaking in a “Pass the Pinwheel” social media campaign to help raise awareness for the cause.
Volunteers for the organization gathered in the Riley County Courthouse Plaza on Friday, April 3 to kick off the campaign by planting a pinwheel garden. Development Coordinator Aaron Estabrook said the pinwheel has been adopted nationally as a symbol of child abuse and neglect prevention for several reasons.
“You look at a pinwheel and you think about it shining in the sun,” said Estabrook. “It’s reflective and it’s bright, and it just is a symbol of the future that all children deserve–a stable, healthy environment.”
To take part in the campaign, participants can share a photo of a pinwheel, accompanied with “#PassThePinwheel.” Estabrook said the goal is to inform the public and help raise awareness for the problems the local community currently faces with child abuse.
“We have over 140 cases that are children in need of care,” he said. “Abuse happens locally. It’s a problem everywhere, but we like to think that it’s happening somewhere else and not necessarily in our own backyard, but it definitely is.”
In addition to the Pass the Pinwheel campaign, Sunflower CASA is also hosting several other events this month, including “Breakfast with Bill Snyder” on Wednesday, April 15 and a “Light of Hope” ceremony on Monday, April 20. More information on these events can be found at SunflowerCASA.org.
