Ortonville Village Clerk Liz Edwards putting out pinwheels in front of the Old Town Hall. Photo by Patrick McAbee.

By Shelby Stewart
Staff Writer
Oakland County has declared April as child abuse prevention and awareness month.
Both the Village of Ortonville and Brandon Groveland Youth Assistance (BGYA) are putting out pinwheel gardens to show their support of the proclamation.
“Child abuse and neglect awareness is imperative because it sheds light on a world-wide issue while acting as a catalyst for future programs that focus on prevention and treatment,” said Ragen Rockwell, BGYA and Holly Youth Assistance caseworker.
“This work is crucial in a time when one out of every three girls and one out of every five boys are sexually abused before they reach the age of 18 and more than four children die from child abuse and neglect on a daily basis, as reported by www.DoSomething.org.”

BGYA has put out a blue pinwheel garden in front of Randy Wise Ford on M-15 the last few years, in support of the ‘Pinwheels for Prevention’, and Ortonville has decided this year to do a smaller garden out in front of the village offices this year to show support as well.
The program is through CARE House of Oakland County, which trains over 7,000 people in prevention every year. Anyone looking to show support as well can contact CARE House through their website at carehouse.org. Pinwheels are available through their website for businesses, homes and schools.