Child Abuse Prevention Month Awareness Actitivites
April is recognized nationally as Child Abuse Prevention Month. The Blue Ribbon Campaign (download Blue Ribbon Campaign brochure) is a community wide effort to recognize our collective responsibility to prevent and confront all forms of child abuse and neglect. Child abuse is entirely preventable, but not without your help. Here in Northern Kentucky, there are several opportunities for the community to promote and participate in Child Abuse Prevention Month activities. Activities planned for April include awareness, prevention, education, and fund-raising.
Blue Ribbon Ceremony
The
Blue Ribbon Ceremony to kick off April Child Abuse Prevention Month activities will take place Friday, March 30th at 12:00 noon at the newly expanded Tom Gill Chevrolet. Tom Gill hosts the ceremony with support from Leadership Northern Kentucky Alumni Association.
Our featured speaker this year is Gary Hudson, the founder of the Cincinnati office of Darkness to Light - Stewards of Children. Gary is a community stakeholder in the prevention of child sexual abuse and the former CEO of Mercury Instruments.
Local officials, families, law enforcement, businesses and community agencies will join together to proclaim April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Northern Kentuck.y Guests are invited to tie blue ribbons along the white picket fence facing the interstate to symbolize child victims of abuse and neglect.
Family Nurturing Center is honored to have Bishop Foys of the Diocese of Covington provide his words of compassion and support for Child Abuse Prevention Month with an invocation to begin the program. Light refreshments will be served.
View Photos of the 2011 Event Here at Flickr
Blue Ribbon 5K Race
Saturday, April 28th: Registration 9:00 am; Pump begins at 9:30 am; Run begins at 10:00 am
REGISTER HERE FOR THE BLUE RIBBON 5K RACE
Print out a race flyer and share with your friends and co-workers. Thanks!
The race beings and ends at General Cable, 4 Tesseneer Drive, Highland Heights, and winds through the campus at Northern Kentucky University. This is our 3rd year to host a race and we are working on responding to past participants request for changes. New this year, we are joining with Melody's Boot Camp for a Pump and Run. Bring your own hand weights for an organized group PUMP session prior to the race. Don't want to register on-line? Download a registration form.
Free child care is available during the entire race at Kids Fun Lane and Run (ages 12 and younger). Kids will enjoy a FREE petting zoo, activities, puppet show and healthy snack.
Participants can do more than just pump, run or walk, they can invite their friends to help them raise additional funds to support Family Nurturing Center’s many services to children and families all year long. Awards will be given for top team and individual who raises the most charitable donations. Follow us on FB and Twitter to help promote your own Blue Ribbon Campaign for the 5K Race.
Corporate sponsorship opportunities for the Blue Ribbon 5K Race. Depending on level, sponsors will have their company name’s included on all participant t-shirts, can include a company flier or coupon in participant goodie bags, and will be recognized at the award’s ceremony. Contact Tracy Fuchs for details. 859-525-3200, ext. 230.
Blue Ribbon Pins, Wristbands, and Pinwheels for Prevention
Community members can make a donation directly to Family Nurturing Center or make a donation at all Bank of Kentucky branch locations in Northern Kentucky and receive an enamel blue ribbon pin, blue wristband, have your name included on a donor card,or get a Pinwheel for Prevention at each bank location to demonstrate to others your commitment to end the cycle of child abuse. Read the full story of the Blue Ribbon campaign and how a Virginia grandmother began an international campaign to stop child abuse. To learn more about what you can do, download our community awareness brochure.
School Involvement
Promotion could be as simple as asking your students and staff to wear blue ribbon pins or stickers (available from FNC) during the month of April, create a Blue Ribbon Tree at your school, share information about our Nurturing Parenting programs with your parents, schedule a Kids on the Block performance (elementary) or a Protect and Comfort Infants program (junior/high), allow students to sell blue wristbands (available through FNC) giving students the privilege to participate in special themed days/events, share our Nurturing Parents tips calendar with your Parent Teachers Association, or conduct a Coin Challenge between the grades to raise funds to support prevention and treatment programs. For more ideas, download our Blue Ribbon School brochure here.
Children’s Art Contest
This annual contest is open up to any child in 3rd through 5th grades. Entries can be made using any medium (charcoal, markets, paint, crayon, etc.) up to poster size. The winning entry will be reproduced onto large advertisement posters and displayed on TANK buses during the entire month of April. It will also be used on the t-shirts for all participants and volunteers at the Blue Ribbon 5K Race and other agency promotional materials. The wining entry can choose to receive either a gift card to Hobby Lobby, or a pizza party for their school classroom, scout group, church class, or youth club.
Download a Children's Art Contest flyer.
Download a Parental Consent Form. Required with all art submissions.
The winner will be asked to attend the Blue Ribbon Ceremony to kick off Child Abuse Prevention Month on Friday, March 30, at 12:00 noon, hosted by Tom Gill Chevrolet.
Build a Blue Ribbon Tree for Kids
Blue Ribbon Trees are growing all over Northern Kentucky. We invite every community, school, church, business to take action for children by simply “Building a Blue Ribbon Tree”. Trees should be displayed during the entire month of April indoor or outdoors. Take a picture of your tree and send to Family Nurturing Center for inclusion in our Tree Registry. (You may also view our Blue Ribbon Tree Registry at Flickr.) Download blue ribbon tree packet here.
Unfortunately, Northern Kentucky ranks higher than state and national averages in the area of child abuse and neglect on the number of children reported abused by county in Northern Kentucky) and Kentucky leads the nation in child abuse fatalities. Make your tree a statement to the public about the number of children reported abused or neglected in your county. For a summary of reports of child abuse in Kentucky by county, click here.
Blue Sunday
On April 22, 2012 churches of all faiths are asked to offer a prayer to their congregations. On this special Sunday, congregations will join together in a day of prayer to demonstrate their appreciation to those who help abused or neglected children, and to support children and families who have been touched by abuse. A church bulletin insert is available for download.
Does your church have a Safe Sanctuaries policy or guidelines to reduce the risk of child abuse? Has your church done a proactive self-evaluation to assess policy needs to protect children in the church’s care? Are you VBS staff trained to know the signs and indicators of sexual abuse? Learn ways to protect children and your congregation by hosting a Stewards of Children workshop at your church. This is a free workshop and one your church and our children cannot afford to miss. To read a sample Safe Sanctuaries policy created by the General Conference of the United Methodist Church visit www.gbod.org/ministries/family/safe/about.htm.
Social Network
Follow the Blue Ribbon Campaign on and friend us on . Receive a daily Nurturing Parenting Tip all during the month of April, and announcements about Blue Ribbon events around the region. Help us spread the blue ribbon across the region; together we can put an end to the cycle of child abuse.
Questions about any of our Blue Ribbon Campaign initiatives, should be directed to Tracy Fuchs, Director of Development 859-525-3200, ext. 230.
