We joined legislators in the Senate and House of Representatives as the Child Abuse Prevention Month tributes were read in both chambers, followed by an afternoon rally for supporters of prevention efforts across the state. If you weren’t able to join us, don’t worry– we took photos! 

On April 13th, the Illuminating Leadership Awards were held at the celebratory Pinwheel Breakfast. Illuminate Colorado has annually honored the contributions of exceptional individuals, groups of individuals, and organizations who have furthered our collective mission to strengthen families, organizations and communities to prevent child maltreatment. This year we celebrated some amazing recipients!

One of the biggest wins came when Governor Jared Polis signed HB23-1191 into law, which prohibits the corporal punishment of children in public schools, state-licensed child care centers, family child care homes, and specialized group facilities. HB23-1191 will create positive childhood experiences to enable families and communities to thrive!

Research shows that positive experiences help kids grow up into healthy, thriving adults. Whether you’re a caregiver, professional, or community member, you can help create positive experiences for the kids in your life. Find your training.

Bloom Yoga, a program managed by Sarah Crisafi at Illuminate Colorado, offers supportive, trauma-informed yoga for anyone who plays a part in family strengthening. That means kids, caregivers, and professionals alike! Interested in hosting a class? Contact Sarah Crisafi at scrisafi@illuminatecolorado.org.

It is essential for any professional who works directly with families to be equipped with the tools needed to have effective conversations about substances and how to empower parents to make small changes to increase safety– that’s why Illuminate Colorado developed a conversation guide for professionals to use in talking to families about substance use and preventing child maltreatment. If you’re a professional who works with children and families, sign up to take the training today!

Advocacy work doesn’t end when the legislative session does! Be sure to stay up to date on policies affecting children and families by signing up for Illuminate’s Blog Newsletter.

On April 3rd, Illuminate Colorado spent the day at the Colorado State Capitol celebrating the beginning of Child Abuse Prevention Month. In the morning, we joined legislators in the Senate and House of Representatives as the Child Abuse Prevention Month tributes were read in both chambers, followed by an afternoon rally for supporters of prevention efforts across the state. If you weren’t able to join us, don’t worry– we took photos!

State Senators Rhonda Fields and Barbara Kirkmeyer reading the Child Abuse Prevention Month tribute on the Senate floor.

State Senators Rhonda Fields and Barbara Kirkmeyer with members of Illuminate Colorado, Raise the Future, Kempe Foundation and Kempe Center, Colorado Department of Human Services, Colorado Department of Early Childhood, and the Child Protection Ombudsman of Colorado.

First, we heard opening remarks from Mekialaya White, an anchor at CBS4.

Lupita Cardoza, a parent with lived experience, shared how Sister Carmen and the Circle of Parents program provided community support when she needed it most.

“I learned a lot about advocating for myself and for others, how to raise kids and deal with teenagers, how important it is to know where to go for resources and information.” – Lupita Cardoza

Timiya Jackson, Executive Director of the Heart & Hand Center Denver, shares how resource centers provide families with the resources and support they need to thrive.

In closing, Stacy Tracey, a Prevention Social Caseworker at Denver County’s Department of Human Services, expressed how important it is to really listen to families and to meet parents where they are.

“Serving in this position is the best job I’ve had and the opportunity to meet families where they are and help them get to where they want to be has been incredibly rewarding.” – Stacy Tracey

Around the month of April, for more than ten years now, you may have seen gardens of pinwheels planted in the community, at school, day care or a local hospital or nonprofit organization, and wondered, why?

It’s because planting pinwheels represents the bright childhoods we all want for children.

When parents, caregivers, family, friends, neighbors, employers and elected leaders work together to increase five critical protective factors in families’ lives, that is when we can prevent child abuse, strengthen families, and build brighter childhoods.

Each year, the hope is you will do more than see pinwheels in your community.

There are many ways to get involved and learn more during Child Abuse Prevention Month and all year long.

#PreventionInPartnership is all about maximizing our efforts. Together, we can put families first and relieve some of the overload experienced by parents and caregivers.

April 3rd is Wear Blue Day, and we’ll be celebrating at the Capitol!

EVNET UPDATE: All events on April 3rd have been pushed to the afternoon due to Governor’s Office activities. We will no longer have the Pinwheels in the Chambers event in the morning, though tributes will still be read. You can still listen to the tributes online. Additionally, the kick off rally has been moved to 1pm… 

In the morning, Illuminate Colorado will gather with supporters and volunteers for Pinwheels in the Chambers. Help us fill the galleries of the state legislative chambers as Child Abuse Prevention Month tributes are being read by wearing blue and showing up at the Colorado State Capitol–we’ll bring the pinwheels!

Plus, save the date for a midday rally on April 3 after the morning activities, led by the Colorado Department of Human Services. The rally will also be livestreamed (link coming soon) so you can join us, wherever you are in the state! 

Donate!

Throughout the campaign, you can make a tax-deductible gift to help build a virtual pinwheel garden. Donations will go to support this annual awareness campaign to strengthen families and prevent child abuse in Colorado.

• • 80 Coloradans took a FREE two-hour interactive online training designed to  create a new standard of child safety in communities and throughout Colorado. If you weren’t able to attend in April, free trainings are offered year-round. Find one that works for you.

     

  • More than 200 people across the country contacted lawmakers on April 27 to urge them to reauthorize and increase funding to offer high-quality home visiting services to families as part of  Prevent Child Abuse America’s third annual Digital Advocacy Day.

     

  • Communities used the hashtag #GrowingBetterTogether to connect to the movement, finding ways to get involved and signifying their commitment to helping children, families and entire communities to thrive.

     

  • Illuminate Colorado, with the support of SafeCare Colorado, Colorado Parent and numerous other 2022 Pinwheels for Prevention Campaign sponsors distributed 840,264 messages during the month of April to inspire a conversation to grow a better tomorrow for all children, together. Partnering with 54 organizations, highlighted on COPinwheelsForPrevention.org, we reached more than 76,139 Coloradans.

As the Colorado Chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America, Illuminate Colorado leads the Pinwheels for Prevention Campaign in Colorado and a collaborative effort to raise awareness during child abuse prevention month each year.

Since 2009, this collaborative effort in Colorado has grown exponentially over the years with hundreds of local organizations and thousands of passionate people organizing pinwheels displays – one of the many ways we work together to inspire conversations about how to strengthening families in Colorado.

The Colorado Child Maltreatment Prevention Awareness Campaign Planning Committee will be meeting later this year to being to align awareness efforts and plan create a greater understanding of how to prevent child maltreatment by building protective factors and strengthening families.