MOLINE, ILLINOIS (March 27, 2019) — April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, which is dedicated to raising awareness of child abuse and highlighting ways to prevent it throughout the United States. Locally, the Child Abuse Council is hosting a number of activities to help the community come together and recognize that every child in the Quad Cities deserves a safe, healthy and happy childhood.
Child abuse happens in all communities, in all neighborhoods, and has the potential to occur in any household. Some facts on child abuse:
- Child abuse and neglect affect more than 1 million children annually, and at least 1 in 7 children have experienced child abuse and/or neglect in the past year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- In the United States, the total lifetime economic burden associated with child abuse and neglect is approximately $2 trillion, according to Prevent Child Abuse America, rivaling the cost of other highprofile public health crises such as stroke and type 2 diabetes.
- In the Quad Cities region last year, there were more than 3,000 reports of child abuse and neglect.
- The cost of child abuse and neglect in the Quad Cities area is $248,562 every day when factoring in cost of investigations, medical and mental health treatment, foster care, special education, juvenile and adult crime and chronic health problems.
Yet none of this has to be the case. Child abuse and neglect are 100 percent preventable. The Child Abuse Council provides effective, comprehensive service by approaching prevention through three distinct models:
- Community Prevention: Widespread education and support for building nurturing families.
- Focused Prevention: Targeted engagement and specialized support for families to keep children safe.
- Treatment and Prevention: Professional support and resources to heal from and prevent recurrent abuse and neglect.
Local activities for Child Abuse Prevention Month include a number of Pinwheel Gardens, with the blue pinwheel a symbol of the healthy, happy and full childhoods all children deserve. The Child Abuse Council is teaming up with a number of partners throughout the region for the gardens, which will remain on display throughout the month. Garden dedications are free and open to the public.
Friday, April 5, is “Blueout Day,” where all are encouraged to wear blue in support of safe, healthy and happy childhoods. Workplaces can take photos and post them on Facebook and other social media with the hashtag #BlueoutQC.
The Child Abuse Council’s annual Lifesaver Celebration concludes the Child Abuse Prevention Month activities on April 25. This reception – a major fundraiser for the Child Abuse Council – features live and silent auctions, entertainment, hors d’oeuvres a hosted bar and more at the TaxSlayer Center in Moline, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Further details are available at ChildAbuseQC.org.
The schedule of local activities for Child Abuse Prevention Month includes:
- March 30: Pinwheel Garden dedication at 10AM, hosted by Illinois Casualty Company
- April 3: Pinwheel Garden dedication at 3PM, St Ambrose Center for Health Sciences
- April 4: Pinwheel Garden dedication at 9AM, Rock Island Arsenal
- April 5: “Blueout Day” in the Quad Cities where all are encouraged to wear blue in support of child abuse prevention and post photos to social media with #BlueoutQC
- April 5: Pinwheel Garden dedication at 9AM, Davenport Police Department
- April 8: Pinwheel Garden dedication at 8:30AM, Hy-Vee on Avenue of the Cities in Moline
- April 11: Pinwheel Garden dedication at 10AM, Moline Police Department
- April 12: Pinwheel Garden dedication at noon, Project NOW Head Start
- April 13: Pinwheel Garden dedication at 10AM, Beyond the Baseline
- April 25: Lifesaver Celebration annual fundraiser at 5:30PM, TaxSlayer Center
About the Child Abuse Council: The Child Abuse Council leads community efforts to eliminate child abuse and neglect by strengthening children and families through treatment, education, and prevention. Founded in 1977, through the efforts of citizens and professionals with a concern about child abuse and neglect in the Quad Cities, the CAC is a bi-state agency that operates with a philosophy emphasizing community efforts and cooperation. It remains the Quad Cities’ only child abuse prevention agency dedicated to keeping children safe and building strong families, with an emphasis on children from birth to five years old. Complete information about the CAC and its programs is at ChildAbuseQC.org.
