A whimsical pinwheel toy can brighten the eyes of a child while he or she plays with it but for two Family YMCAs of Greater Augusta, the pinwheel is serving as a symbol of tragedy that has struck many of its local families – child abuse.
With April being Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Aiken County Family YMCA and the Wilson Family YMCA in Augusta are displaying one pinwheel for each case of substantiated child abuse in the area in 2020. The Aiken location has 418 pinwheels for cases in Aiken and Barnwell counties while the Augusta location has 682 for Burke, Columbia, McDuffie and Richmond counties.
The Family Y is also partnering with YMCAs across Georgia to spread awareness about child abuse prevention through four Y Talks centered on protecting children. The 50-minute sessions are open to the public at no cost.
Topics include Child Sex Trafficking, Cyber Safety and more.
“Keeping children safe is a top priority for the Y year-round,” Catie McCauley, chief operating officer, said in a statement. Details for register for each session are available online on the Family YMCAs of Greater Augusta's website.
