Every day, week and month has something attached to it that we are asked to celebrate or recognize. But next month may have one of the most important tags attached to it.

April is Child Abuse Awareness/Prevention Month. It’s a time we should all help to build awareness of child abuse and neglect throughout the community in an effort to help prevent future cases.

The Bladen County DSS Child Welfare Unit is once again doing its part by getting the word out about this year’s campaign, which has a theme of “Pinwheels for Prevention.” You can read more details about the campaign on Page 1A today.

What the local DSS representatives hope will happen is that Bladen County will become a sea of spinning, blue pinwheels.

Why blue pinwheels?

The blue pinwheel, representing innocence, is a national symbol for child abuse prevention. Pinwheels reflect the bright future all children deserve and is a positive emblem of the effect we can have when we work together to prevent child abuse.

There is hardly a more impressive sight than a yard or field or roadway covered with dozens, hundreds or even thousands of blue pinwheels spinning in the breeze. Although there is power in numbers, it’s not always necessary to fill the ground with blue pinwheels — leave that to the groups, organizations and companies that can do it.

A small cluster of blue pinwheels or maybe one blue pinwheel for each of your children would be awesome. Even a single blue pinwheel in your front yard or in front of your place of business or turning in the wind from the antennae of your vehicle sends a positive message to those who see it.

Maybe someone out there will get ultra-creative with what they do with their blue pinwheel(s).

In any case, if you put together a blue pinwheel creation that would make an interesting photo, please do one of two things: Take a photo and email it to cvincent@bladenjournal with a little information (include your name, hometown and telephone number); or give us a call at 910-862-4163 and tell us about it.

If you need some blue pinwheels, here’s how: Pinwheels can be purchased at the local Dollar Store, Walmart, on-line, or Bladen County DSS has blue pinwheels that can be purchased for $1 each.

The local DSS is also organizing a contest, so be sure to look for those details in the story on Page 1A today.

Let’s get Bladen County awash in spinning blue pinwheels.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children.” (Nelson Mandela)