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The Stanly County Department of Social Services and the Butterfly House Children’s Advocacy Center have a full month of activities planned to raise awareness about child abuse.
To begin Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month, the Butterfly House will plant pinwheels at 5 p.m. April 1 at the Atrium Health Stanly fountain entrance.
A pinwheel will be planted for each child seen by the Butterfly House in 2024.
A one-mile walk will follow the planting. Pinwheel and T-shirts will be available for purchase.
On April 11, the annual Child Abuse Prevention & Awareness Breakfast will be at Atrium Health Stanly’s Family & Education Center, 301 Yadkin St., Albemarle. Breakfast will begin at 7:45 a.m., with the program starting at 8:30 a.m.
Call 980-323-4625 or email butterflyhousecac@atriumhealth.org by April 3 to register.
Guest speaker will be Justin Hefner, a survivor of child sexual abuse who received child advocacy center services in North Carolina.
He is now an advancement team member and forensic interviewer for One Place Child Advocacy Center in Jacksonville.
Throughout April, individuals and businesses can shine a blue light to show support for survivors of child abuse.
A meal to support the Butterfly House will also be offered at The Rosebriar Restuarant 5:30-7:30 p.m. April 4. The Albemarle Sweet Shop will also have butterfly cookies during April in honor of Child Abuse Awareness Month.
According to Children’s Advocacy Centers of North Carolina, more than 12,000 families seek help from CACs each year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CACNC says, cites one in four girls and one in 20 boys in the U.S. as experiencing child sexual abuse.
CACNC has launched a campaign to raise awareness and educate the public on recognizing the signs and symptoms of abuse.
“Our campaign, Hidden in Plain Sight, uses visuals of children blending into their surroundings to illustrate the powerful idea that abused and neglected children are often all around us, yet unnoticed,” said Deana Joy, executive director of Children’s Advocacy Centers of North Carolina. “Reporting the abuse is the first step to getting victims of child abuse the help they need.”
North Carolina law — statute N.C.G.S 7B-301 and N.C.G.S. 14-318.6 — requires adults to report known or suspected child abuse to DSS and law enforcement.
“Everyone should be mindful of what’s going on in the lives of children around them, and they should know that Children’s Advocacy Centers are located across NC to provide a coordinated, evidence-based response for children experiencing abuse,” said Joy.

B.J. Drye is general manager/editor of The Stanly News & Press. Call 704-982-2123.