In honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month, Illuminate Colorado will be highlighting some of our statewide child abuse prevention partners in a new blog series. Follow along and learn about the different ways that individuals and organizations engage in CAP Month around the state!
The Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, on behalf of Colorado’s Child Welfare Training System (CWTS), began participating in Child Abuse Prevention Month in 2014.
Since then, each of CWTS’ four regional training centers (RTCs) located in Denver, Fort Collins, Canon City, and Rifle, promote CAP Month by what they enthusiastically call “painting the RTCs blue!”
Each regional training center plants a pinwheel garden in their lawn, and staff make marketing materials openly available at each training center for visitors to easily access information about child abuse prevention. Additionally, community members from each region (including county child welfare staff, law enforcement, fire departments, child advocacy centers, and local government) come together in blue to form a living CAP Month image each year. It really is a tribute to collaborative community partnerships!
Teammates and regional learning coordinators Colleen Gibley-Reed and Holly Laydon stated: “We turn up the fun volume by adding a flare of competition, as we watch to see which RTC has the largest turn out each year for their CAP photo. Standing in unity, side by side brings to life our collective efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect in our respective communities.”
Last year, the southeast regional training center’s event was such a big hit, it was featured in the local news!
From the words of Dr. C. Henry Kempe, “Our children’s future and the world’s future are one.”
