PENNSYLVANIA, USA — April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and the UPMC Child Advocacy Center of Central Pa. (CAC) and the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation are shining a light on it using pinwheels.
Roughly 1,300 blue pinwheels were planted at UPMC locations across Central Pa. earlier this week for each victim and family served by CAC of Central Pa.
Both CAC and the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation aim to create conservations around child abuse prevention by acknowledging that abuse happens.
Pinwheels for Prevention is a nationwide campaign that aims to bring awareness to the many ways people can help prevent child abuse with the image of the blue pinwheel, and throughout the month of April, you’ll see them on the lawns of several UPMC hospitals as part of this campaign, according to the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation website.
The pinwheel "is a symbol of the bright childhood all children deserve: one filled with hope and possibility," also according to the website.
"A lot of people don't know what it's about," Stephanie Benamor of the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation told FOX43. "They don't know what pinwheels mean, but it's really synonymous with child abuse prevention around the country. So people often come over and ask what it is and we just let them know that it's our way of supporting these kiddos in need."
The UPMC Child Advocacy Center hopes to continue to raise awareness throughout the area and will be opening a new Carlisle location this August.