Across the street from Children's Hospital in what was once a grassy park and playground is now the site of a very visual reminder that franklin county had more than 7,000 reported cases of child abuse in 2004.
Groups of volunteers planted the pinwheels to represent each reported case of child abuse and neglect. Each plastic pinwhell stuck out about a foot out of the ground. children walking by awed at all the colors, blue, red, green, pink, orange, before running indoors to get out of the cold. All together the pinwheels totaled 7, 348.
Well, 7, 347 actually.
One pinwheel is now with Ron Williams, who picked up a yellow one out of the grass and continued to stroll down Livingston Avenue.
"I just decided to take one because it looked so nice...so I took it" Williams said.
Williams has four kids from ages 8-13. He says he doesn't see a need to talk to his children about child abuse because he does not abuse his kids.
But Yvette McGee Brown, President of Children's Hospital Center for Child and Family Advocacy,says even if abuse does not take place in the home, parents still need to discuss the issue with their children.
"Our kids go to school with children who are being abused. So if a child understands what abuse is... it just makes that child also more aware," she explained.
The pinwheels will be displayed in Livingston Park through the end of this week.