It all started with a little pink ribbon. One little pink ribbon, that evolved into a month of pink garbage trucks rumbling through our communities, pink appliances to display on our counter tops, pink jackets, tennis shoes, earrings, and hats. Not to be outdone, we were presented with other worthy causes to support; peace signs, rainbows, and puzzle pieces began cropping up. Now we find ourselves celebrating with blue pinwheels to support child abuse awareness.
Can we really limit our awareness to only one month? Of course not. Child abuse doesn’t take a vacation or fit neatly into a calendar. We may choose the month of April to bring awareness to this hot topic, but we can’t stop talking about it once we flip the calendar to May. The truth is, child abuse happens every day…every month…every year. Families suffer with domestic violence, drug addiction, and poverty and often take their stresses out on their children.
No child should have to endure maltreatment from anyone, especially his or her own family. As you see pinwheels pop up all over town this month, please keep in mind that next month when you see ads for National Barbecue Month or National Health and Fitness month that there are still children who need your support. Children who only want to be loved and cared for but who, unfortunately, fall through the cracks. We all need to love and protect these children in the hopes that they will see good in people when their lives need more than a pinwheel gently turning in the breeze.
