Nearly 1400 pin wheels are spinning at a busy Nicholasville Rd. intersection in Lexington. They are there to draw attention to issues related to child abuse and neglect in Fayette County.
With the securing of pinwheels by representatives of six child-focused agencies, the total count came to 1377. That’s the number of substantiated cases of child abuse or neglect in Lexington during last year.
Sunflower Kids provides supervised visitation and monitored custody exchange services. Director Emily Charles says the program came about following a town hall event more than a decade ago.
“One of the biggest areas of concern was safety during custody exchanges or visitation with family members especially when they were sharing children, having to co-parent in situations of violence and things like that,” Charles said.
Court Appointed Special Advocates or CASA Lexington Director Melynda Jamison hopes more people will volunteer or donate to agencies assisting children and their families.?