PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 1, 2014 CONTACT: Marni Eisner marni@cfcrights.org 704-904-4348

Mecklenburg County agencies host press conference to launch 2014 Child Abuse Awareness & Prevention Month
MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. Mecklenburg Countys second annual Child Abuse Awareness & Prevention Month campaign will be launched Thursday, April 3, with a press conference at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center. Trevor Fuller, chairman of the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, will read a proclamation declaring April as Child Abuse Awareness & Prevention Month. Also giving remarks Thursday will be Peggy Eagan, director of Mecklenburg Countys Department of Social Services. Following the press conference, participants will plant pinwheels, a symbol of child abuse awareness in North Carolina and across the country, outside the Government Center. The second annual awareness campaign is organized by the Mecklenburg County Child Abuse Awareness & Prevention Month Committee, which is made up of representatives from a range of government, education, nonprofit and health organizations that work to protect children. The agencies join forces in April because their leaders recognize the need to raise awareness about the critical issue of child abuse. Throughout April, participating agencies will work to educate people about North Carolinians legal responsibility to report suspected child abuse or neglect. The press conference will begin at 10 a.m. outside the Government Center, located at 600 E. Fourth St., Charlotte, in the plaza area facing Fourth Street. In the event of rain, the press conference will be held in the lobby of the Government Center. Pinwheel gardens will be visible across Mecklenburg County in April. From hospitals to government offices, at least 12 locations will plant pinwheels gardens. According to Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina, the pinwheel is reflective of the bright future all children deserve. Among the local locations is Pats Place Child Advocacy Center on East Boulevard in Charlotte, where staff and volunteers will plant their pinwheels at 11 a.m. Thursday. For more information about pinwheel planting at Pats Place, contact Janet Harmon at 704-335-2760. For details about upcoming events and more information about Mecklenburg County Child Abuse Awareness & Prevention Month, please visit www.facebook.com/MecklenburgChildAbuseAwareness and www.cfcrights.org.

Since 1983, April has been designated as Child Abuse Awareness & Prevention Month. For the second year, a team of local agencies charged with helping children are combining forces on a public awareness campaign to get the message out about this critical issue and the importance of mandatory reporting of suspected abuse. The local committee, the Mecklenburg County Child Abuse Awareness & Prevention Month Committee, is made up of representatives from various local agencies, including the Council for Childrens Rights, the Mecklenburg County District Attorneys Office, Youth and Family Services, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Communities In Schools, Pats Place Child Advocacy Center, the Guardian Ad Litems Office, Novant Health, the Childrens Home Society of North Carolina, the Mecklenburg County Health Department, A Childs Place, the Junior League of Charlotte, the Arts Empowerment Project, Thompson Child & Family Focus and the Mecklenburg County Child Fatality Prevention & Protection Team.

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