In accordance with Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Northern Hills Area Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) spent April advocating for children and hosting conversations about child maltreatment. Advocates raised awareness with the Pinwheels for Prevention campaign, which encouraged area locals to stop by the Northern Hills CASA office, pick a pinwheel from the garden, take a photo and tag the organization on Facebook for a chance to win a prize. According to CASA, “Pinwheels represent playfulness and joy. They serve as a physical reminder of the great childhoods we want for all children. 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 signifies America’s efforts to change the way our nation thinks about prevention by focusing on community activities.”
In addition to Pinwheels for Prevention, CASA also held “Cup O’ CASA” events throughout the month at various coffee shops in the Northern Hills area. Attendees could come grab a cup of coffee while engaging in conversations about child abuse awareness and prevention with the Northern Hills CASA team and CASA volunteers. In Belle Fourche, Cup O’ CASA was held at Wild Magnolia on April 9. The final Cup O’ CASA event will be April 30 at Common Grounds in Spearfish.
CASA reminds us that protecting children is a community effort. Whether it’s through a simple conversation over coffee or a shared photo with a pinwheel, each action helps create a safer world for children in the Northern Hills and beyond.
Read the full issue of the Belle Fourche Beacon by clicking here.
