Local agencies support child abuse prevention

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and local nonprofits are making an extra effort to raise awareness.

“Child abuse prevention starts with informed, connected communities, and every person has a role to play,” said Lindsay Estep of Juliette’s House, the Yamhill County child abuse intervention and advocacy center.

Juliette’s House, based in McMinnville, has informational displays in numerous businesses this month. It also is planning special events, including prevention trainings and, on May 1, its annual Celebrate the Children fundraising auction.

Yamhill County Court-Appointed Special Advocate program, which matches trained volunteers to children who need someone to speak up for them in the court system, will also put up displays to remind the community about prevention. CASA will stage one of its largest fundraisers this month, the Solid Foundations Tour of historic architecture.

Blue is the color of child abuse prevention.

Accordingly, blue pinwheels will mark Juliette’s House displays in about 40 local businesses. The restaurants and stores will donate part of their proceeds on specific items or days to the child abuse assessment center.

McMenamins Hotel Oregon will donate 50% of its proceeds from 5 p.m. to closing on April 21. Cascade Movement Center, 816 S.E. First St., McMinnville, will host a restorative yoga and sound bath fundraiser at 6 p.m. April 17, with donations going to Juliette’s.

In addition, blue ribbons on downtown trees remind locals about CASA’s work.

CASA is still seeking sponsors for some of the approximately 75 trees downtown. Individuals, families or businesses can sponsor wrapping a tree with a ribbon for $50; for more information, visit www.yccasa.org or call 503-406-4673.

CASA’s Solid Foundation Tour, its second annual, will feature six properties in Newberg. They include the Hoover-Minthorn House, a museum in the home where President Herbert Hoover lived as a child; Newberg’s first bank building; and homes such as a colonial estate, a turn-of-the-century house, a Victorian loft and a classic craftsman-style structure.

Tickets are $30, plus a service fee if ordered online. They can be purchased at the starting point in the Chehalem Cultural Center or online at www.solidfoundationstour.org.

Other events planned by Juliette’s House include two trainings for adults, one at 6 p.m. April 16 and the other at 5:30 p.m. April 29, both at the assessment center, 1075 S.W. Cedarwood St., McMinnville. Staff members will teach adults how to recognize signs of abuse, report it to authorities and prevent abuse from happening.

The organization also will host a Blue Marble hunt, with marbles hidden around Yamhill County. It will post clues for finding them on its social media sites.

The Celebrate the Children Auction will start at 5 p.m. May 1 at Abbey Road Farm, 10280 N.E. Oak Springs Farm Road, east of Carlton.

People who’ve been helped by Juliette’s House will share stories. The evening will include a multicourse dinner, dessert auction, raffle and both live and silent auctions to raise money that will support services for children and families impacted by abuse.

Tickets are $150, and tables are available. Registration ends April 27; it can be completed at the website, julietteshouse.org.

Estep said the nonprofit organization uses a three-pronged approach to address child safety, abuse prevention, and healing.

Staff from the assessment center provide age-appropriate safety education in school classrooms in addition to training for adults and professionals. The goal is to empower the community to recognize, prevent and respond to abuse, she said.

In addition, Juliette’s offers intervention services to children who have experienced abuse or neglect or who have witnessed violence. A multidisciplinary team conducts medical exams and interviews, supports investigations and guides families through next steps, she said.

Juliette’s House’s counseling center offers trauma-informed therapy, case management, and parenting support for children and their families, as well, she said. Services are provided regardless of ability to pay.