LAKE COUNTY – April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and local officials are asking everyone to help in preventing the abuse and neglect of the community's children.
On Tuesday the Lake County Board of Supervisors will present a proclamation declaring April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Lake County.
In 2007, almost one million children did not know what it was like to be “safe and sound” in their homes.
Tragically, three children – of all races, genders and socioeconomic backgrounds – die each day as a result of abuse or neglect.
During April's annual observance of Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Lake County Children's Council will sponsor events to call attention to the importance of preventing these tragedies and all forms of child maltreatment, as well as to the role each of us can play in these efforts.
“It is crucial that we come together as a community to raise awareness about the negative effects of child maltreatment. Each of us can make a difference in the life of a child,” said Joan Reynolds, chair of the Children's Council.
The Children's Council has a new public awareness campaign this year, “Keep Kids Safe – Protecting our Children is Everyone's Business.”
Businesses in our downtown areas will be displaying posters and handing out bookmarks in April to demonstrate their commitment to preventing child abuse in our communities.
Local churches, agencies and schools are also being asked to show their support for keeping our children safe by displaying and distributing materials.
On April 7, there will be a flag raising event in Lakeport at 11 a.m. at the Lakeport Library Park. The council will raise the Flag of the Missing Child, a national symbol for children lost to abuse. The community is invited to come and the event's speakers and show support to the community's children.
There are also many things that individuals can do – during April and throughout the year – to keep the children in their lives and communities from becoming statistics.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Children's Bureau, Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, has teamed up with Prevent Child Abuse America to create a packet of information and resources about child abuse and neglect prevention. It contains strategies for how each one of us can get involved in preventing child abuse. The packet is available online at http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/topics/prevention.
Everyone can provide a safe place for children, and everyone can play a role in preventing child abuse. Raise the issue. Reach out to kids and families in your community. Join community prevention efforts. Take action to help ensure that the children in your community are safe and sound.
For more information about the “Keep Kids Safe” campaign contact Shelly Mascari at Lake County Childcare Planning Council, 994-4795.
For more information about activities relating to Child Abuse Prevention Month or for information about child abuse prevention programs and activities throughout the year, contact Joan Reynolds at the Children's Council, 262-4146.