By CAROLINE CARMICHAEL / Staff Writer

A proclamation declaring April 2018 Child Abuse Awareness Month in Chilton County was signed by District Judge Chris Speaks and Probate Judge Bobby Martin on April 4 at Corner Park in downtown Clanton.

The signing was the main event of the Pancakes and Pinwheels kickoff hosted by Butterfly Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center.

“This is a very, very important month where we recognize that it’s Child Abuse Awareness Month, and we do everything as a community to try to be aware of that, to prevent that, to report abuse,” Director Jana Zuelzke of Butterfly Bridge told guests.

In preparation for the month’s awareness, pinwheels and blue ribbon — both representative of the movement — decorated the advocacy center and Corner Park.

Sporting blue and smiles, guests and pageant queens from across the county enjoyed pancakes and fellowship inside the Butterfly Bridge center, before gathering at Corner Park for the ceremony.

Before signing, Speaks shared several remarks regarding child abuse in the community.

“It’s one of those situations that we think we should all be aware of this, but unfortunately, it is something that still occurs way too often in our community — and probably the reason that it goes so unnoticed is that the people that are committing these acts are people that these children trust,” he said.

“And that is why organizations like Butterfly Bridge are so important, because these young people don’t know who to talk to, don’t have a voice for them, and that is what Butterfly Bridge provides.”

Miss Outstanding Teen Sarah Beth Huntley read the proclamation aloud, calling for community members to do their part in reporting any potential abuse, and then the document was officially signed in.

The ceremony concluded with the queens’ placements of pinwheels into the pine straw ground under the Corner Park tree.

Corner Park will “stay blue” throughout the month, reminding passersby of the community’s commitment to protecting the children and youth of Chilton County.

For more information about Butterfly Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center, visit ButterflyBridgeCAC.org.