By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Pinwheels were back at Decatur City Council on March 17 as the local SAFE (Supporting all Families Everyday) organization unveiled its plans for April, which is Child Abuse Prevention Month.
SAFE rep Cindy Thieme was on hand to perform an annual ritual, passing out pinwheels.
Pinwheels are used as the national symbol for child abuse prevention to represent the happy, healthy, and carefree childhood that every child deserves, according to SAFE.
Thieme told council that the local SAFE’s 11th annual carnival is shifting locations this year. It will be held on Saturday, April 18, from 1-3 p.m. on the 4-H fairgrounds in Monroe.
The carnival is free to all and will include crafts, corn hole, a cookie walk, ring and bean bag toss, bowling, golf, basketball toss, snacks and more.
“We want to make it a fun time for families,” Thieme said.
Those planning to participate are urged to bring a new book for Kate’s Cart.
SAFE’s annual Celebration of Youth will take place at the Adams County Courthouse at noon at Wednesday, April 8. Adams Memorial Hospital CEO Dr. Scott Smith will be the featured speaker.
Following the talk, St. Joseph School students will plans the pinwheel “garden” at the courthouse.
Of SAFE, Thieme said: “We are not to judge, we are to help.”
STARTED 2008: In 2008, Prevent Child Abuse America introduced the Pinwheels for Prevention campaign.
“What our research showed, and what our experiences since then have reinforced,” the organization says, “is that people respond positively to pinwheels, which represent childlike whimsy and lightheartedness and our vision for a world where all children grow up happy, healthy, and prepared to succeed in supportive families and communities.”
SAFE in Adams County has been a Chartered Council since 2014.
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