April is one of those memorable months throughout childhood. The school year’s end can be seen in the distance, the monkey bars are warm enough to dangle from again and the grass is perfect for playing a little soccer. Spring is in the air and the sun is out a little longer – it’s like the preview of summer.

Since 1983, April has also served as a reminder in the United States of the importance of keeping the innocence in childhood and is nationally recognized as Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month. Addison township trustees voted as part of their consent agenda on March 18 to intentionally recognize the month for its awareness opportunities.

Addison Township Clerk Pauline Bennett noted one of the local efforts people can get involved in throughout April is CARE House of Oakland County, which is based in Pontiac. CARE House works with children who have experienced neglect or sexual abuse and their families by providing prevention training, intervention measures and treatment.

Billie Ragland, CARE House’s director of community education, said child abuse should be something people stay aware of all year long.

“Most people aren’t aware of the prevalence of childhood abuse and neglect in our community and I think that, just like the #MeToo movement, the more people talk about it makes more people aware that it’s a problem and makes it more likely that we’ll address it in a meaningful way,” she said.

Ragland said, for the sexual abuse CARE House deals with, one in 10 people have or will experience such abuse at some point in their lives. For 90 percent of those survivors, the abuse was at the hands of someone they knew and trusted.

To help raise awareness, CARE House is encouraging people to make a pinwheel garden in their home or office and share the one in 10 statistic. Pinwheels are a recognized symbol of childhood and are displayed across the country during April. People can get a bundle of pinwheels from CARE House free of charge.

“The best thing people can do (to raise awareness) is plant a pinwheel garden themselves,” Ragland said. “You can do it in your yard, in your business, or you can just put a pinwheel on your desk at work.”

Ragland and her colleagues see about 1,000 children annually who have been abused or neglected in Oakland County. For community members hoping to be on the lookout every day, Ragland suggests looking for acute change in behavior when it comes to children.

“The signs in children would, a lot of times, be a change in behavior,” she said. “So, if someone is previously happy-go-lucky and is now withdrawn.”

If something just doesn’t seem right, Ragland said it’s best to report it.

“Sometimes people see a kid, a situation or they know someone, and they think in their head, ‘Man, should I call someone?’ Just call… If you think there might be a problem, there’s nothing wrong with calling Child Protective Services,” she said. “If you’re wrong about it, nothing happens. If you’re right and you don’t call, then it goes on.”

For teenage and adult survivors who might just be coming to terms with what happened, Ragland said it’s best to just listen. The abuse likely happened at the hands of someone they trusted, and she said it’s important for them to have a listening ear they can trust when processing what happened.

“The most important thing is to let them tell their story if they want to,” Ragland said. “You don’t have to believe them even, it doesn’t matter. That’s their reality.”

And above all, listen to your gut.

“Trust your instincts about people,” Ragland said. “There’s a reason you have them.”

People can get involved throughout Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month by getting involved with or donating to causes like CARE House or Crossroads for Youth.