Annual “Pinwheels for Prevention” Highlights Victims – and Assistance – in Greater Scioto Valley
Ross, Pickaway, Fairfield, and Four Other Counties — To help raise awareness for Child Abuse Prevention Month, “The Garden Family Advocacy Center” hosted an awards breakfast where they recognized several people in the field as “Children’s Champions.”
Later, they had their annual “Pinwheels for Prevention” ceremony at the Paint Street entrance to Yoctangee Park in Chillicothe.
I had a long chat with executive director Rhiannon Gill, who explained how the multi-county nonprofit prevents children from being retraumatized when they testify in court.
The agency was created in 1996 as the “Child Protection Center,” but has been recently rebranded as “The Garden Family Advocacy Center” to avoid confusion with the state’s Child Protective Services.
Gill explained that their “Children’s Champions” are people with a long history of handling child abuse and child trauma cases, and go above and beyond. Most of them are law enforcement and social service professionals.
Part of Gill’s presentation on April 2nd included a photo of a prosecuting attorney’s bulletin board. It is covered with photocopies of the hands of the attorney alongside the hands of each child she works with, to comfort the children.
The annual “Pinwheels for Prevention” ceremony on April 4th, now with two 12-foot pinwheels, points out how many Children’s Services Cases were processed through Ross County: 1,719. Gill said about 300 went through some part of their therapy center.
Gill said The Garden’s services are free because of donations and grants, and a child comes in to speak with a child abuse specialist in comfort. Some of their services that she mentioned:
- A “colposcope” scans the lower half of a child’s body, which allows non-intrusive imaging of possible evidence that can be shared among experts.
- An advocate speaks with the family about possible services available to them.
- The team is also on the lookout for domestic violence and human trafficking.
- Child therapy is available, including for those not receiving The Garden’s services.
- Supervised visitation is available where a child can spend time with a family who has restricted contact.
They also have free K-8 prevention education for schools, including handy posts on their Facebook page.
Gill says they cover six counties: Scioto, Pike, Ross, Pickaway, and Fayette – and when it helps victim families, they occasionally service Athens, Jackson, Meigs, and Gallia.
From our earlier story: “The advocacy center assists with child abuse assessments through referrals from law enforcement, child protective services, and medical providers..the center’s multi-disciplinary approach [is] rooted in the National Children’s Alliance standards, to minimize trauma, build resilience, and promote well-being for children, families, and communities.”
The Garden Family Advocacy Center has a Faceboook page, where Gill says they will be posting daily through April’s Child Abuse Prevention Month. Hear Gill in her own words and learn much more in the below two-part video interview.
