Pride ParkWHAT: Pinwheel display planting in observance of Child Abuse Prevention Month
WHERE: Pride Park, 630 S. Sixth St.
WHEN: Tuesday, April 21, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.

Hartsville, S.C. – The City of Hartsville is inviting parents, children and organizations to help mark April as Child Abuse Prevention Month by planting a Pinwheel Garden at Pride Park, 630 S. Sixth St. The ceremony will take place Tuesday, April 21 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., with refreshments provided.

The pinwheels to be planted with help from the children of the Hartsville Boys & Girls Club are meant to symbolize the happiness, nurture and safe environment which every child deserves. The Children’s Trust of South Carolina, the state chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America, leads the Pinwheels for Prevention Campaign in April, a time to reflect on the needs of abused and neglected children in South Carolina. The Children’s Trust counted 16,317 founded cases of child abuse and neglect in the 2014 fiscal year, of which 47 percent involved children 5 years old or younger.

The planting comes a week after Hartsville Mayor Mel Pennington issued a proclamation announcing April 2015 as Child Abuse Prevention Month in the City of Hartsville, which noted that “by strengthening families and providing safe, stable, and nurturing environments that are free from violence, abuse, and neglect, opportunities are created for children’s optimal growth and success, ensuring a secure future for our communities, where the needs of children are a priority and the needs of families are met.”

For more information about Child Abuse Prevention Month, visit www.scChildren.org/CAPmonth.