To kick off April, the Ector County Sheriff’s Office and the Odessa Police Department have each started a pinwheel garden to bring attention to National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Local law enforcement has partnered with the Harmony Home Children’s Advocacy Center to bring awareness to this nationwide problem.
OPD Chief Michael Gerke said it will take a community effort to stamp out child abuse and the pinwheel gardens help remind the public those actions take place.
“If we are going to call ourselves a community that cares about children, it’s everyone’s responsibility to help end child abuse,” he said. “If we could bring those numbers down, that would be great. Each one that doesn’t happen is a success. Each one that happens is a tragedy. It’s a community effort.”
Harmony Home Prevention Director Amanda Allen explained the reasoning behind the pinwheel.
“The pinwheel itself represents the bright future that children deserve,” Allen said.
The public is invited to add to the pinwheel gardens of ECSO and OPD.
Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis said people are welcome to bring one or 10 pinwheels. Gerke agreed with Griffis’ statement. Harmony Home also welcomes people to plant pinwheels in their front yards.
In addition to the pinwheels, Allen also encourages people to wear blue throughout the month for National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Harmony Home will close out National Child Abuse Prevention Month with party in the parking lot from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 30 at the Odessa Downtown Lions Club parking lot located at 1101 Whitaker Avenue.
“I encourage the public to wear blue as much as they can all month long,” Allen said. “If people ask why they are wearing so blue, we want them to say it’s child abuse awareness month and it’s something that we all need to be talking about.”
Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis said law enforcement keeps in close contact with Harmony Home throughout the year. He applauds the work that Harmony Home that is able to do on a daily basis by helping children who has been sexually, physically or emotionally abuse or neglected.
Harmony Home serves more than 600 children every year. Harmony Home’s purpose is to minimize the trauma of child abuse through multidisciplinary team investigation, prosecution and treatment.
“Harmony Home is an agency that is invaluable to all of law enforcement,” Griffis said. “We couldn’t do what we do effectively without all those good people at Harmony Home. They are fantastic. We are happy to help bring awareness to child abuse and to Harmony Home.”
