Across the state, numerous organizations work to make Tennessee a better place for children and families. One such group is Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), which currently serves families in 47 counties through 28 local programs. During the month of April, a number of these local groups as well as others will host events to mark Child Abuse Prevention Month and raise awareness of their work. Information is listed below.

2015 Events

April 3, Pinwheel Garden
Thistle Farms
5122 Charlotte Pike
Nashville, TN 37209
(615) 298-1140
info@thistlefarms.org

April 4, Pinwheels for Prevention
Nashville Farmers' Market
900 Rosa L Parks Blvd.
Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 880-2001

April 10, CAC Open House
The Children’s Advocacy Center of Hamilton County will hold an open house April 10 at its North Chattanooga center. The goal of the day is to communicate the center’s mission to the local community. The center will be moving to the city’s new Family Justice Center at Eastgate within the next few months.

April 13, Ready, Set, Unite!
The Helen Ross McNabb Center will host a free awareness event on April 13 at 4 p.m. at Market Square in downtown Knoxville. The event – "Ready, Set, Unite!" – is designed to bring people together in support of Child Abuse Prevention Month. Participants will join in short walk around the square to symbolize the community’s commitment to protecting the children of East Tennessee. The event will kick off with remarks from Mona Blanton-Kitts, McNabb Center vice president of clinical services, followed by testimony from a child abuse survivor. The city of Knoxville and Knox County also will present proclamations for Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Walkers are asked to wear royal blue, the designated color of child abuse prevention, and will be given pinwheels, which are used as one symbol of hope for children affected by abuse. The event will take place rain or shine. No registration is required. For information, visit www.mcnabbcenter.org or contact Emily Scheuneman at (865) 329-9095.

April 16, Preventing Abuse Program
Child abuse prevention experts will discuss issues related to the community’s youngest and most vulnerable citizens during a special program at 10 a.m. April 16 at Roby Fitzgerald Adult Center. The program is free and open to the public. The featured speaker will be Jaime Greene-Lamb, regional coordinator of Child Protective Services for the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services Also attending will be Russell Clark, a Child Protective Services investigator, and Deanna Hicks, director of the Child Advocacy Center of the Third Judicial District, an organization that provides services to abused children and families. The program is sponsored in conjunction with Lauglin Memorial Hospital. For more information, call the Laughlin Health Care Foundation.

April 17, Child Abuse Awareness Walk
CASA Monroe will host a Child Abuse Awareness Walk at noon at the Monroe County Courthouse in Madisonville. The walk will go around the courthouse three times to signify the over 300 abused and neglected children in the county juvenile court system. All public officials, attorneys and concerned citizens are invited to attend.

Contact:
Alisa M. Hobbs
Executive Director
CASA Monroe
(423) 442-2750
alisa.hobbs@casamonroe.org

April 17, Nancy Swain Watters Walk
The Annual Nancy Swain Watters Memorial Walk, hosted by the Children's Center of the Cumberlands, through Oneida will take place April 17. The event, which began as an initiative of former Tennessee First Lady Andrea Conte, has continued as an effort to raise awareness of child abuse and spousal abuse.

April 18, 5K Walk & Run
CASA Corridor will hold its Annual "I Am for the Child Walk" and Sarah Hall 5K Run. Download a brochure about the event or a flyer to post.

Contact:
Frances Witt-McMahan
CASA Corridor of East Tennessee
casa_director@casacorridor.org
(423) 746-9037

April 24, Crime Victims Remembrance
The 10th Judicial District Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) will host an event on April 24 at the McMinn County Courthouse to honor all victims of crime. The event will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and include remarks by local District Attorney Steve Crump, a candle lighting ceremony and the group’s Clothesline Project display. Students from Tennessee Wesleyan College, teens that get counseling at CAC, and clients from The H.O.P.E. Center’s shelter have designed T-shirts to display as well.

Nearly 200 shiny foil pinwheels glint and gleam in CAC’s lawn on West Madison Ave. in Athens representing the child victims of sexual abuse or severe abuse who are served by the center. “We have the pinwheels to represent each child we have served during the past year,” CAC Family Advocate Erika Cullum said, adding there are 199 of them this year.

April 26, Smith County Blue Ribbon Fair
Child Abuse Prevention & Awareness Event
12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Kidz Central Park at the Smith County Community Playground
Download a flyer about the fair

Contact:
Shanda Key
Program Coordinator
UCHRA CASA of Smith County
615-735-0034
skey@uchra.com

April 27-30, Teddy Bear Drive
The 10th Judicial District Children's Advocacy Center (CAC) in Athens is holding a Teddy Bear Drive April 27-30 to collect donations of new stuffed animals. The bears are given to each child who comes in for an appointment. Bears can be dropped off at AgCentral Co-op and Sharon Brown’s State Farm office, both on North Congress Parkway, during regular business hours. There will be a designated box at each location.

April 29, Candlelight Vigil
Williamson County CASA is partnering with the Franklin Police Department and Davis House Child Advocacy Center to host a candlelight vigil to remember victims of child abuse. The event will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the police station's community room. Download a flyer about the event.

Contact:
Danielle McMorran
Williamson County CASA
Director of Development and Public Relations
(615) 591-2699 ext. 2
danielle@WilliamsonCountyCASA.org

April-Wide, Fundraising Campaign
The Knoxville Family Justice Center is teaming up with Verizon Wireless to raise funds in support of domestic violence and sexual assault victims in the Knox County area. Verizon has pledged to match all community donations to the center up to $10,000 through this month. The money raised will directly benefit those who seek help from the organization, as well as aid in increasing community awareness and education regarding domestic and sexual violence. Donations can be made online at fjcknoxville.com.

Prevention Resources

Learn more about how to identify and stop child abuse:

Government Agencies

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

Department of Education

Department of Health and Human Services

• Administration for Children & Families
• Children’s Bureau

National Criminal Justice Reference Service

Tennessee Department of Children’s Services

• Office of Child Safety
• Joint Task Force on Children’s Justice and Child Sexual Abuse
• Tennessee Children’s Trust Fund

Tennessee Groups

Carl Perkins Center
Serving Jackson & West Tennessee

Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee

Stephens Center
Serving the Upper Cumberland

Tennessee Children’s Advocacy Centers

• Find a center in your area

The Family Center
Serving Nashville & Murfreesboro

National Groups

American Humane Society

Court Appointed Special Advocates

Childhelp

International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect

National Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention

National Child Traumatic Stress Network

National Children’s Advocacy Center

Prevent Child Abuse America

• Pinwheels for Prevention