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It was a God-kissed morning in Southwest Virginia. The sun was shining and the redbuds splashed color along treelines of the streets of Roanoke. Birds chirped and squirrels frolicked. Volunteers gathered at the Virginia Western Community Arboretum push pinwheels into the ground.

It was part of an effort to call attention to the positive impact of Children’s Trust during April, which is Child Abuse Prevention month. While most of the Access crew was there, this is not about us. This is about the pinwheels and what they represent. Over the last year, Children’s Trust has helped more than 1,100 children and families through services to improve parenting skills, educate kids, and strengthen our community as a good place to grow up. That’s what the pinwheels represent as they dance in the sunlight just off Colonial Avenue.

Lee Hipp, who is in charge of The Community Arboretum, did a wonderful job of organizing the effort and volunteers. The process was pretty simple. Pick a row. Get a handful of pinwheels. Poke a hole in the ground with a screwdriver (the pinwheel stems are wimpy). Place pinwheel. Position to face Colonial Avenue. Measure 10 inches in a straight row. Repeat 1,099 times.

The Community Arboretum at Virginia Western Community College along Colonial Avenue was chosen because it is a main thoroughfare between the city and county. Hundreds of cars pass by each hour and thousands attend the neighboring college.

The pinwheel is a symbol for child abuse prevention and reflects childhood hope, health, and happiness. Children’s Trust, which is comprised of both the Children’s Advocacy Center and CASA, adopted that same symbol a couple of years ago.

On Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 10:00 am, a press conference will be held at the “Pinwheel Garden” for Dr. Kees from Carilion Clinic to announce the creation of the Southwest Virginia Alliance for Safe Babies (the new name for the Shaken Baby Syndrome Task force). This will be another opportunity to highlight Child Prevention Month and further promote Children’s Trust. All are welcome to attend.

Please drive by the Arboretum and check out the display…and think about the work of Children’s Trust and how you might help make our community a better place to be a kid. As for the pinwheels, they were all set in just a little over an hour. And I’d bet that each of the volunteers will tell you they didn’t mind a bit getting their hands dirty for a cause they believe in.

Find out more at www.roact.org.

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