Community members take a stand against child abuse

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) — Every year more than 2 million cases of child abuse are reported.

Now, an area group is taking a stand and fighting back.

The Coulee Region Child Abuse Prevention Task Force held a Blue Ribbon Appreciation and Award  Breakfast Thursday.

The breakfast was a way to kick off April, which is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The breakfast also honors community members who make a difference in the life of area children.

Organizers says it’s a way to say thank you and acknowledge how important their work is.

“It can take a toll on some of use for the stories that we hear and the things that we see and we really need to acknowledge how difficult the work is. So we can say you know what, we appreciate you, we say thank you and we want you to know that we stand behind you,”  Jeanne Meyer a coordinator with Child Advocacy Center.

The work to prevent child abuse continued Thursday afternoon at the Pinwheels for Prevention Kickoff event.

Volunteers placed nearly 1,500 pinwheels in front the Family & Children’s Center along Losey Boulevard in La Crosse.

The pinwheels represent the number of children’s lives where you can help make a difference. 

The hope is for the display to catch the attention of community members, reminding them to be a part of the solution not the problem.

“We want to make sure when people go past that site they recognize that they really do have a part in helping keep our children safe so we use that pinwheel to really draw attention to a very, very ugly side of our society,” said Meyer.

For a full list of events this month head to the Coulee Region Child Abuse Prevention Task Force Facebook Page.