“Wear Blue So the Children Won’t Have To”

during Child Abuse Prevention Month

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. In recognition of this, the Exchange Club – Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse is asking everyone to “Wear Blue So the Children Won’t Have To” on Monday, April 16. The Center also asks the community to join them for the annual candlelight vigil on the square at 5:15 p.m. “We would like to see everyone dressed in blue on this date to raise awareness of child abuse,” said Linda Burns, County Director of the Carl Perkins Center.

Why blue? In 1989 Bonnie Finney, of Norfolk, Virginia, tied a blue ribbon to her car antenna to memorialize the death of her only grandson. He died as a result of child abuse. She chose the color blue as a constant reminder of the black and blue bruises that covered his battered body. This was the beginning of the National Blue Ribbon Campaign.

According to the National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse, there are approximately 3 million cases of abuse reported nationally each year. Every year, approximately 1,500 children die as a result of abuse, and an estimated 85 percent of these children are under age 5. Child abuse leaves its mark on all members of society.

To help in the child abuse prevention campaign, the Center is selling blue tee shirts with “Wear Blue” on the back. The cotton tee shirts are $15 each and can be purchased at the center. Blue lapel ribbons are also for anyone who wants to wear a blue ribbon throughout the month of April.

The center is also involved in many other community events this month, such as a Crawfish Boil, balloon launches, distributing child abuse prevention pencils to third-graders, and appreciation lunches for Child Protective Investigative Teams.

You can make a real difference in the life of a Haywood County child. Join the centers efforts and ‘Wear Blue So the Children Won’t Have To.’ Call the center at 731-772-8378 for more information and to reserve a t-shirt for the April 16 Candlelight Vigil.