April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. In the 19th century, Child Saving Institute (CSI) was built on the promise of championing what’s best for each child and family. That promise lives on today and is expanded through the organization’s merger with Children’s Square in Council Bluffs and many other community partnerships.
For generations, CSI has been a trusted partner and community leader in protecting children. What began as a promise to “respond to the cry of a child” and keeping neglected children safe continues today through the organization’s diverse and evolving programs.
Through intentional alignment of programs to serve children and families, including childcare and education, mental and behavioral health, community-based services and residential treatment, CSI provides support to the children and families across Nebraska and Southwest Iowa.
In Council Bluffs, the Children’s Square campus serves children in crisis; when they need care and support most. An emergency youth shelter, Psychiatric Medical Institute for Children and Crisis Stabilization Services offer children the critical care during life’s most vulnerable moments.
In Nebraska, CSI partners with Project Harmony to provide children with safety and support in critical moments. The Triage Center provides a comforting, trauma-informed space for children who have experienced abuse, neglect, trauma and have been removed from their homes. While located on the Project Harmony campus, CSI runs the Triage Center—another display of true collaboration and community partnership to do what’s best for kids.
This partnership between CSI and Project Harmony extends beyond the Triage Center and reaches into important initiatives like the Pinwheels for Prevention campaign during Child Abuse Awareness Month in April. The two agencies walk side-by-side in their aligned priorities to prevent child abuse before it happens.
Nationally, one in ten children will be abused before turning 18. This reality is reflected locally, making awareness, education and prevention essential. Mandy Suing, community engagement coordinator at Project Harmony, said that collaboration strengthens prevention efforts.
“Partnering with CSI during Child Abuse Awareness Month amplifies the message that protecting children takes all of us,” Suing said. “When organizations stand together, we create more opportunities to educate the public, empower families and encourage conversations that can ultimately prevent abuse before it happens.”
The partnership with Project Harmony, both during April and throughout the year at the Triage Center, is a natural fit. Throughout this month, over 50 businesses will plant blue pinwheels to take a stance against child abuse, refusing to look away from the pain it causes children.
“Child Abuse Awareness Month is an important reminder that every child deserves to feel safe and protected,” CSI President and CEO Jaymes Sime said. “When we come together as a community, we show children and families that their well-being matters to all of us.”
To learn more about the programs for children and families at CSI, visit childsaving.org.
