'A POWERFUL MESSAGE'

Since 1983, Child Abuse Prevention Month has been observed annually in April in an effort to raise awareness and prevent child abuse. In 2016, President Barack Obama issued a Presidential proclamation stating: "During National Child Abuse Prevention Month, we recommit to giving every child a chance to succeed and to ensuring that every child grows up in a safe, stable, and nurturing environment that is free from abuse and neglect.” 

At the Pastoral Center in Albany, Ann Marie Carswell, the associate director for Safe Environment in the Diocese of Albany, said the colorful display that recognizes the month just past the main entrance to the building was a combined effort of the Assistance Coordinator’s office, The Hope and Healing Ministry and the Safe Environment Office. The focal point are the blue pinwheels - the national symbol of Child Abuse Prevention - which form a pair of large butterfly wings. The display states “the color blue represents innocence and is the color of awareness and prevention. … A butterfly symbolizes transformation, hope and joy.”

“Our faith teaches us to always protect the life and dignity of the human person,” Carswell said via email. “Child Abuse Awareness/Prevention Month gives us the opportunity to increase awareness, educate ourselves and the community, and to seek healing for those who have been impacted by the horror of abuse. Creating an eye-catching, slightly over-the-top “whimsical” display invites people to stop and take a closer look. Hopefully, by drawing their attention to the fun of the display, a powerful message of the importance of prevention and/or intervention is conveyed.”