Child Abuse Prevention Month activities scheduled throughout April in Bladen County

ELIZABETHTOWN — Blue, as a symbol of child abuse prevention, will be prevalent in Elizabethtown and throughout Bladen County in April.

The Bladen County Child Welfare Unit has organized a number of activities and ways for the community to participate. Last year, COVID-19 caused a number of outward activities to be scaled back or not held.

Nationally, the campaign for Child Abuse Prevention Month is “Pinwheels for Prevention.” The unit hopes to “cover” the county in pinwheels, and asks for participation through pinwheel gardens, planting pinwheels in flower pots, posting pinwheels on bulletin boards or in windows, a tree decorated with pinwheels, or other creative ways to display pinwheels for prevention.

The Department of Social Services encourages the involvement of children, such as coloring the pinwheels or “planting” them.

Pinwheels are available at the Dollar Store, Walmart and Bladen County DSS.

Photos of pinwheel gardens can be sent to Sheila Berkeley at [email protected], mailed to Bladen County DSS P.O. Box 369 Elizabethtown, NC 28337, or dropped off at DSS. A contest winner will be announced at Child Abuse Awareness Day on April 23. On that day, there will be a butterfly release at the DSS marquee.

Questions can be directed to Berkeley at 910-862-6876.