Blue and silver pinwheels dotting Butler and spinning in the April breeze aim to raise awareness and give voice to the nearly 674,000 victims of child abuse annually.

“Once these individuals tell you what's going on in the Butler area alone, you ask what can we do to help,” Butler AM Rotary member Jim Thompson said of participating in National Child Abuse Prevention Month for the first time. “You can't solve everything, but if you bring awareness to agencies doing the work, that's the right thing to do.”

Thompson — who is past president and area governor of the Butler AM Rotary — said members donated $140 to purchase 140 pinwheels they placed in several locations, including the Alameda Park area, Hansen Avenue intersection at Route 356 and the garden entrance on Route 8 at the General Butler Bridge.

The Rotary is one of several organizations doing their part to honor National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April. The effort recognizes the importance of families and communities working together to prevent child abuse and neglect and promotes the social and emotional well-being of children and families.

Statewide, substantiated reports of child abuse increased from 1.6 per thousand children in 2016 to 1.8 per thousand children in 2017, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Here in Butler County, the number of child abuse reports has increased steadily since 2015.

Countywide, the state reported that out of 532 incidents of child abuse reported in 2017, 46 reports were substantiated. In 2016, 41 reports were substantiated out of 502 total reports, while 2015 saw 30 substantiated reports out of 432 report incidents.

More than $2.5 million was spent on child abuse investigations in 2017, Josh Strelbicki with the Bulter County Alliance for Children, told a group of community members at a recent child abuse prevention training.

“The community has to be the preventer,” said Amanda Feltenberger, chairman of the Bulter County Prevention Council. “We can all do something.”

Feltenberger is one of several community members involved with the Front Porch Project that raises public awareness through child abuse prevention training.

During April and throughout the year, communities are encouraged to increase awareness and provide education and support to families to prevent child abuse and neglect. The Butler County Alliance for Children's 2019 Pinwheels for Prevention campaign is blanketing Butler County with colorful displays meant to remind the community that “It's Your Turn to Make a Difference,” according to Denna Hays, executive director for the organization.

The public awareness campaign was started in 2008 by Prevent Child Abuse America, a national organization with affiliates across the country working to promote the healthy development of children and prevent child abuse before it can occur.

Hays, founding executive director of the Butler County Alliance for Children, was also the organization's first employee in November 2013. The Butler-based organization is now up to four employees who served 330 families last year.

So far this year, Hays said the organization has handed out 1,000 blue pinwheels in recognition of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, with plans to distribute another 1,000. She added that 30 large yard signs, 15 medium signs and 70 small signs have also been circulated.

Hays pointed out that public participation has increased for the organization's Pinwheels for Prevention Campaign, which is now in its fourth year locally. She credits the community's desire to create a better environment for children to be safe and grow as a driving force behind the increase.

Hays encourages community members to become more involved by talking about abuse and supporting children and other parents,

The basic steps to minimize the likelihood of abuse are to learn the facts, talk about and recognize the signs of child abuse and react responsibly, according to Hays. She explained how children often do not talk about abuse because it is seen as a “forbidden topic” because people would prefer to think nothing occurs.

Hays was also quick to dispel the false perception that children are abused by strangers. In fact, according to Hays, about 90 percent of victimized children are sexually abused by someone they know.

The organization also offers community education and training on technology and Internet safety. Hays said one safety tip is to watch out for sexstortion — solicitation via social media from people within and outside of the community.

Through a small grant, the organization collaborated with the Butler Collaborative for Families to distribute a family packet and pinwheel to about 850 children enrolled in programs at the Butler County Children's Center, which oversees the county's Head Start program.

Hays said the packet is meant to serve as a conversation starter for parents to use with their children. Included in the packets are free or low-cost activities parents can do with their children, Hays said, adding how the goal is to encourage parents bonding and talking with their children about child abuse.

She suggested that instead of criticizing a person's parenting, people should offer them positive feedback, adding how important it is to approach and create relationships with parents and children.

“It's getting back to old school ways of community,” she said.