April Is Child Abuse Prevention Month
April 12, 2021 at 12:43 a.m.
By Staff Report-
Community leaders will speak on the importance of child abuse prevention and will plant pinwheels as a visual reminder of the reason for the gathering, according to a news release from CASA.
In 2020, 162 children needed and were assigned an advocate due to abuse and neglect in Kosciusko County. The Indiana Department of Child Services received 216,277 reports in 2020 regarding concerns of child abuse and neglect.
In 2008, Prevent Child Abuse America introduced the blue pinwheel as the national symbol for child abuse prevention. These pinwheels represent a commitment to preventing child abuse and stand as a reminder of the happy childhoods and bright futures that all children deserve.
The goal of during the month of April is to give a platform for the prevention of child abuse, the press release states. CASA members also want to focus on ways everyone can support children who have experienced abuse or neglect and work to prevent future experience of abuse.
The most common factor in developing resilience is having a stable relationship with a supportive adult, According to the Harvard Center on the Developing Child. That’s where CASA of Kosciusko County volunteers come in. As an organization, CASA recruits, trains and supports volunteers who advocate for children in the court system.
CASAs get to know children and the adults around them so they can best understand the situation and how to advocate for those children in the court and in the community.
According to Erin Rowland Jones, executive director of CASA of Kosciusko County, “our volunteers are simple, everyday people who care deeply about children. They come from every walk of life and range in age from 25 to 81 years of age. These volunteers are part of a national network of 93,300 volunteers who are doing this work.”
In 2020, CASA of Kosciusko County’s 67 CASA volunteers donated 4,277 hours of their time advocating to 167 abused and/or neglected children in the community plus advocating for 29 children embroiled in high conflict custody or visitation cases.
Research has shown the impact of a CASA leads to children that are less likely to reenter the child welfare system, more likely to reach a permanent home sooner (whether that be reunification with a parent, adoption or another permanent solution), receive a higher number of support services and have better educational outcomes than children without a CASA volunteer, according to the release.
Many blue pinwheels and signs will be placed around town at local businesses whose owners want to show commitment to child abuse prevention. Prevent Child Abuse America adopted the blue pinwheel as the national symbol for child abuse prevention in 2008.
For opportunities to support CASA, Clearwater Car Wash is donating $2 for every car wash to CASA on April 21 at the Warsaw location. Volunteers will be at the car wash handing out pinwheels and information about CASA. Warsaw
Hacienda is also supporting CASA’s efforts by donating 20% of sales to CASA when presented with the CASA “token.” To get your CASA token, visit casachildren.com/ April.
For youth in the foster care system, CASA volunteers are the supportive adult they need to walk alongside them. CASA volunteers are trained to understand the impact of trauma on children. They advocate for services that promote healing and help children build resilience. The work CASA volunteers do is life-changing, and sometimes life-saving, the release states.
“By becoming a CASA volunteer, supporting us financially or sharing our cause with others, you can make a difference,” said Rowland Jones.
For more information about becoming a CASA volunteer or donating to CASA of Kosciusko County, call 574-372-2401 or go to www.casachildren.com.
Community leaders will speak on the importance of child abuse prevention and will plant pinwheels as a visual reminder of the reason for the gathering, according to a news release from CASA.
In 2020, 162 children needed and were assigned an advocate due to abuse and neglect in Kosciusko County. The Indiana Department of Child Services received 216,277 reports in 2020 regarding concerns of child abuse and neglect.
In 2008, Prevent Child Abuse America introduced the blue pinwheel as the national symbol for child abuse prevention. These pinwheels represent a commitment to preventing child abuse and stand as a reminder of the happy childhoods and bright futures that all children deserve.
The goal of during the month of April is to give a platform for the prevention of child abuse, the press release states. CASA members also want to focus on ways everyone can support children who have experienced abuse or neglect and work to prevent future experience of abuse.
The most common factor in developing resilience is having a stable relationship with a supportive adult, According to the Harvard Center on the Developing Child. That’s where CASA of Kosciusko County volunteers come in. As an organization, CASA recruits, trains and supports volunteers who advocate for children in the court system.
CASAs get to know children and the adults around them so they can best understand the situation and how to advocate for those children in the court and in the community.
According to Erin Rowland Jones, executive director of CASA of Kosciusko County, “our volunteers are simple, everyday people who care deeply about children. They come from every walk of life and range in age from 25 to 81 years of age. These volunteers are part of a national network of 93,300 volunteers who are doing this work.”
In 2020, CASA of Kosciusko County’s 67 CASA volunteers donated 4,277 hours of their time advocating to 167 abused and/or neglected children in the community plus advocating for 29 children embroiled in high conflict custody or visitation cases.
Research has shown the impact of a CASA leads to children that are less likely to reenter the child welfare system, more likely to reach a permanent home sooner (whether that be reunification with a parent, adoption or another permanent solution), receive a higher number of support services and have better educational outcomes than children without a CASA volunteer, according to the release.
Many blue pinwheels and signs will be placed around town at local businesses whose owners want to show commitment to child abuse prevention. Prevent Child Abuse America adopted the blue pinwheel as the national symbol for child abuse prevention in 2008.
For opportunities to support CASA, Clearwater Car Wash is donating $2 for every car wash to CASA on April 21 at the Warsaw location. Volunteers will be at the car wash handing out pinwheels and information about CASA. Warsaw
Hacienda is also supporting CASA’s efforts by donating 20% of sales to CASA when presented with the CASA “token.” To get your CASA token, visit casachildren.com/ April.
For youth in the foster care system, CASA volunteers are the supportive adult they need to walk alongside them. CASA volunteers are trained to understand the impact of trauma on children. They advocate for services that promote healing and help children build resilience. The work CASA volunteers do is life-changing, and sometimes life-saving, the release states.
“By becoming a CASA volunteer, supporting us financially or sharing our cause with others, you can make a difference,” said Rowland Jones.
For more information about becoming a CASA volunteer or donating to CASA of Kosciusko County, call 574-372-2401 or go to www.casachildren.com.
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