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April 2021 is Child Abuse Prevention Month in Chilton County. (ZACHARY SEIFTER/ ADVERTISER)

From left are Alexis Pierce, Alyssa Zeigler, Allison Giles, Marybeth Porter and Karley Tillery (ZACHARY SEIFTER/ ADVERTISER)

Chilton County Probate Judge Jason Calhoun reads aloud a proclamation declaring April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Chilton County for 2021. (ZACHARY SEIFTER/ ADVERTISER)

Chiton County Schools Superintendent Jason Griffin puts his Child Abuse Prevention pinwheel in the garden at Corner Park in Clanton. (ZACHARY SEIFTER/ ADVERTISER)

Chilton County residents put their Child Abuse Prevention pinwheel in the garden at Corner Park in Clanton. (ZACHARY SEIFTER/ ADVERTISER)

The staff of Butterfly Bridge poses for a group photo before the event. (ZACHARY SEIFTER/ ADVERTISER)

By Zachary Seifter/ Staff Writer

Butterfly Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center hosted its Child Abuse Prevention Month Kick-off event on April 1.

The event was held at Corner Park in Clanton.

Butterfly Bridge held the event to raise awareness to child abuse cases in Chilton County, and to help prevent such cases from happening in the future.

“While I’m always honored to be invited to participate in such events, I wish that this was an event that we did not have to have,” Chilton County District Court Judge Chris Speaks said. “I want you all to think about those numbers for just a minute. In our, what we consider to be a small community, 356 reported cases of abuse, 550 cases dealt with by DHR, 140 actual reported cases dealt with in the last year.”

Speaks pointed out that even more cases go unreported each year.

“We need each and every one of you looking out for these children,” Speaks said. “If you see anything that looks suspicious or just doesn’t look right, or just does not feel right to you in your gut, please report it to somebody.”

To report cases of child abuse, call the Chilton County Department of Human Resources at 205-258-4900.

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