A Symbol of Prevention
In 2008, Prevent Child Abuse America introduced the pinwheel as the new national symbol for child abuse prevention. Why? Because by its very nature, the pinwheel connotes playfulness, joy, and childhood. It has come to serve as a physical reminder of the great childhoods we want for all children. And as a symbol, the cyclical nature of the pinwheel calls to mind the positive cycles of love and support we want to help families create.
It also represents Prevent Child Abuse America’s efforts to change the way our nation thinks about prevention by focusing on community activities and public policies that prioritize prevention to make sure child abuse and neglect never occur. Over a million pinwheels have been displayed since April 2008, and we hope you’ll join us by bringing Pinwheels for Prevention to your community, too.
How to Participate
As a campaign symbol, a pinwheel conveys the message that every child deserves the chance to be raised in a healthy, safe, and nurturing environment. To purchase pinwheels visit our shop. If you have questions about Pinwheels for Prevention contact our office.
Once you have your pinwheels, here are a few ideas for incorporating them into your child abuse prevention activities:
- Choose a highly visible location and “plant” a pinwheel “garden.” Equate pinwheels with the number of children served by your agency or the number of births in your community. Use your pinwheels to promote the good you are doing in your community.
- Please remember that pinwheels are never to be used to represent deaths from child maltreatment or reported cases of child maltreatment.
- Offer people in your community the chance to make a personal statement in support of your work by purchasing pinwheels.
- Let the media know about your pinwheel garden and its significance.
- Ask your local radio stations to run public service announcements in support of Child Abuse Prevention Month.
- Consider planting pinwheels at childcare centers, schools, nursing homes, hospitals, courthouses, health departments, libraries, places of worship, and other highly visible locations.
- Decorate your home, office, classroom or business with pinwheels.
- Make your own pinwheels as a group or class project. Prevent Child Abuse Indiana can provide a template to make the project easier. Pinwheel color sheets are also available.
- Carry pinwheels in parades, give them as prizes, or sell them as a fundraiser