It’s near impossible to miss the flash of colors at the corner of Broadway and Avenue Q if you find yourself driving downtown. An array of vibrantly colored pinwheels line the sidewalks on the little lot, spinning in the wind and standing in solidarity for those affected by child abuse.

Volunteers with “Sondra’s Song” an independent agency here in town, laid them out in honor of the children who have been abused or neglected in their lifetime.

Sandi Turner, the director of Sondra’s Song, says the purpose of putting the pinwheels right there was to get drivers to slow down, pull over and ask “why?”

“It’s kind of a bittersweet display. They look beautiful while they’re spinning, but you know what it means too,” said Turner.

Sondra’s Song works primarily with teens who are growing out of foster care. Once they turn 18, if they need to, they may move into one of the houses Sondra’s Song owns until they are ready to move out. In their time with the agency, they are expected to continue their education, work, and apply to jobs.

Turner says that it is her hope through offering the teens another temporary home that she may be able to help them avoid a lifestyle that would typically lead to incarceration, homeless, becoming pregnant and further abuse.

“I thought if we could stop it here, there’s hope. There’s hope for these kids,” said Turner. “There’s all ages. You know everybody needs support, mentors, homes, parents.”

Another agency participating in the nationwide “Child Abuse Awareness” month is The Parenting Cottage.

“In Lubbock it [child abuse awareness] is particularly significant because we have one of the highest rates of child abuse and neglect in the state,” said Carla Olson, the executive director for the Parenting Cottage.

In Lubbock County, one in four children become a victim of abuse and neglect. In 2015, the number of confirmed victims of abuse/neglect in the county was 1,138.

It’s statistics like these that the Parenting Cottage, an agency within Lubbock Area United Way and the South Plains Child Abuse Coalition, is looking to completely change.

Lubbock Area United Way will host a variety of ‘Go Blue’ (the color for childhood abuse awareness) events throughout the month to help promote awareness for the cause. You can find a complete list of them here: http://liveunitedlubbock.org/Files/2016-SPCCAP-Flyer.pdf

“We can do things in our community, you know it doesn’t take thousands, hundreds of thousands of people. It takes a few individuals that are dedicated and really want to do something about it,” said Olson.

Whether it’s through a blue ribbon, or a brightly colored pinwheel, Sondra’s Song and the Parenting Cottage are just two of the several agencies and organizations in town that want the community to not only become more aware of the issue that is child abuse, but to become more involved as well.

Think you’d be interested in volunteering for either of these agencies? More information on who to contact can be found below:

Sondra’s Song
Contact: Sandi Turner
Sandi.turner@sondrassong.org
806-790-1962

The Parenting Cottage
info@parentingcottage.org
(806) 795-7552