The North County Rape Crisis & Child Protection Center put on the 6th annual Pinwheels for Awareness last Friday in Lompoc.
In recognition of April being Child Abuse Awareness Month, the center hosted the event to kick off a series of planned activities.
Pinwheels for Awareness focused on the 835 referrals investigated by Child Welfare Services in Santa Barbara County last year.
167 pinwheels, each symbolizing five referrals to CWS last year, were placed in front of the center in Lompoc.
On Tuesday, the pinwheels will be planted in front of the Betteravia Government Center in Santa Maria.
Pinwheels were chosen as the symbol of the event because they represent the innocence of a child.
According to their website, the North County Rape Crisis & Child Protection Center was founded in 1974 in Lompoc. It has since added another office in Santa Maria.
The center's services include personal safety education for children in kindergarten through grade 9, as well as resources for all survivors of assault, abuse and trafficking.
To learn more about the center, or their upcoming events, you can visit their website at sbcountyrapecrisis.org.
