In April, the GFWC IL Morgan Park Junior Woman’s Club will join the Prevent Child Abuse Illinois Campaign and thousands of other communities, organizations and individuals across the nation to raise awareness of child abuse, build effective services, and strengthen families.
As part of the Morgan Park Junior Woman’s Club’s ongoing campaign, this month they will display a banner stating “Prevent Child Abuse Illinois” and plant a blue pinwheel garden next to the banner at St. Christina’s baseball field on the corner of 111th and Central Park. Because of their positive association with children and with happy images of childhood, pinwheels are the national symbol of child abuse prevention, and they represent the hope that every child will be raised in a healthy, safe and nurturing environment.
The Prevent Child Abuse Illinois Campaign provides an excellent resource packet concerning child abuse prevention. The packet includes information on the warning signs of abuse, how to report child abuse and neglect, what to do if you see child abuse in a public place, and what it takes to be a nurturing parent, and much more. Packets can be obtained on-line at www.preventchildabuseillinois.org.
According to Prevent Child Abuse Illinois, child abuse includes physical, emotional and sexual abuse as well as neglect, which is described as failure to provide for a child’s basic physical, emotional, medical or educational needs. Most often, the abuser is someone the child knows, such as a parent, relative, neighbor or friend of the family.
Each year, close to 3 million reports of suspected abuse are filed in the United States. Many more cases never get reported.
Join the Morgan Park Junior Woman’s Club by participating in Prevent Child Abuse Illinois Campaign. Go to preventchildabuseillinois.org for more information. Protecting children is everyone’s responsibility.
