Well, April is here. Somehow, time keeps moving at an unreasonably fast pace.
But with April comes two very important things that you may or may not know about: Autism Acceptance Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month.
While April is many things, Alcohol Awareness Month, Earth Month, National Frog Month (didn’t know that until I googled it), I’m going to focus on the two because I’m involved in programs that support them.
I’m the secretary for Brandon Groveland Youth Assistance, and you may, throughout the month of April, see blue pinwheel gardens throughout Brandon Township and Ortonville. These are titled ‘Pinwheels for Prevention.’
Why pinwheels? Because they represent child-like whimsy, lightheartedness, and the vision for a world where all children grow up happy, healthy, and prepared for success in supportive families and communities, according to preventchildabuse.org.
Every year BGYA and their volunteers go out and plant pinwheel gardens, by which I mean we use a metal rod to poke holes in the usually still frozen ground and stick pinwheels in them in high-traffic areas for all to see. It’s not a fun reason, but there are many resources and tips at the website I mentioned before for preventing child abuse.
In addition to pinwheels, you might see puzzle pieces, which are for Autism Acceptance. The puzzle piece ribbon was designed by the Autism Society of America in 1999, which was meant to symbolize the complexity of the autism spectrum and the diversity of people with autism. The puzzle piece is now used as a reminder of how people with autism fit into the world, as the wonderful human beings they are.
Remember during this month when you see the pinwheels and the puzzle pieces that there are organizations and people in your community willing to help and support. It takes a village to raise a child, and I happen to think that there is a pretty good village here.