INDIANAPOLIS — In an effort to raise awareness for Child Abuse Prevention Month, dozens gathered to turn the downtown canal blue on Friday.
“Our kids are our future we owe it to them for them to grow up, feel cared for and not feel harmed and have them the opportunity to grow into what they want to be,” Tina Cloer President & CEO of Firefly Children and Family Alliance told WRTV.
Firefly Children & Alliance says the color represents the national movement to prevent child abuse. The organization said it impacted more than 18,000 victims in Indiana in 2023 alone, which they say is a statistic from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ latest child maltreatment report.
“I’m a survivor of domestic violence, unfortunately I had to defend myself against my abuser, my daughter was 11 months old and thrown against a wall,” Amanda Willis said.
Willis says she was able to find comfort through Firefly Children & Family Alliance and the services it provides and in turn she is now able to give back.
“The organization that I’m founder of is called The Uppper Echelon Inc. and there we help others to navigate these same barriers that I once had to overcome,” Willis told WRTV.
Now advocates are making it their goal is to make sure the color blue not only shines bright in the month of April, but every single day.
“Our kids are our future we owe it to them for them to grow up, feel cared for and not feel harmed and have them the opportunity to grow into what they want to be,” Cloer concluded.
For more on Firefly Children and Family Alliance click here.
For more information on The Uppper Echelon Inc. click here.
