Hancock County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Aimee Herring spoke at the gathering.
Provided photo
HANCOCK COUNTY — April is National Child Abuse Awareness Month and several supporting organizations from around the county gathered Tuesday at the Hancock County Public Library to show support for the cause with the annual pinwheel planting.
Community leaders and families were invited to stop by and plant a pinwheel in the ground outside the library to spread awareness for child abuse close to home and beyond. However, foul weather interfered with the actual planting of the pinwheels that night. Still, those in attendance were excited to take part in the activity tables and hear from speakers who shared poignant messages.
National Child Abuse Prevention Month recognizes the importance of families and communities working together to prevent child abuse and neglect. Officials note recognizing child abuse issues still exist and must be addressed is key for a healthy, thriving and growing community.
The idea behind the local annual gathering is to raise awareness of child abuse prevention in Hancock County. Among the many supporters attending the annual event were officials from Firefly, Hancock4kids, Zoey’s Place, the Department of Child Services, Court Appointed Special Advocates, and Chances and Services for Youth.
Each one of the local organizations had representatives on the planning committee and showed up to offer support for area kids.
Hancock County Chief Deputy Prosecutor, Aimee Herring, and Greenfield Mayor, Guy Titus, were the guest speakers.
Herring wanted to remind those in attendance Indiana has historically had child maltreatment rates almost two times higher than the national average and reporting data from 2021 ranked Indiana as having the second highest child abuse rate in the nation.
Additionally, Herring told the crowd child fatalities in Indiana continue to increase where abuse or neglect is suspected to be a factor or the death was sudden, unexpected or unexplained.
“We must do better to protect our children,” Herring said. “We must do better to educate parents, grandparents, and other caregivers and provide more resources for children and families. This isn’t something that one person or one agency can do. We must all work together as a community to start turning these statistics around.”
Herring then urged everyone in the community to find time this month to reflect upon how they can become more invested in the community and make meaningful connections and changes in how they each individually can contribute to the reduction and prevention of child abuse.
She concluded her speech by reminding the audience that it isn’t one big thing that makes a change or a difference in a community, rather it’s a million little things.
“Children learn what they live,” Herring said. “What are they learning from you?”
