"For Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month, this series will feature organizations who directly and positively impact the health and wellbeing of young people in our community."

Representatives of The Amy Shulz Child Advocacy Center and Prevent Child Abuse of Marion County attended the Centralia Chamber of Commerce luncheon Wednesday at the Centralia Elks to discuss National Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention month.

Michaela Wharton, director of The Amy Center and Jessica Palazollo of Prevent Child Abuse of Marion County said the blue-themed month is designed to decrease the staggering numbers of child abuse cases and help promote preventative measures.

“There are a lot of organizations working toward helping, but at the end of the day preventative measures are what is best, so we can prevent the child from having to go through that at all,” said Wharton.

“If you see something, say something,” Palazollo later added. “Little kids often don’t have a voice, so if you see something that doesn’t look good, tell someone.”

Wharton said The Amy Center is anticipating up to 400 cases in 2024.

Palazollo, a lifelong resident of Centralia, said Prevent Child Abuse of Marion County was recently created over a six-week period as a response to what she felt was a lack of conversation and action regarding child abuse cases in Marion County.

“Marion County is such an amazing county, but no one is talking about [child abuse awareness and prevention] on a big scale,” said Palazollo. “We’re tired of kids not having a safe place, and we’re tired of people not talking about it.”

Palazollo said Prevent Child Abuse placed calling cards for National Child Abuse and Awareness Month throughout Centralia, including blue ribbons on streetlights, blue lights on Carillon during the entire month of April, blue-colored drinks at restaurants, and more.

“The goal of communities coming together and talking about this and possibly implementing preventative measures is hopefully that one day we won’t have to acknowledge that April is Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month,” said Wharton. “We have to band together to do things at our local level that will affect things at the state level and the national level, eventually.”

Palazollo said she hopes to see Prevent Child Abuse of Marion County double in size by 2025, and to continue more initiatives in Centralia and its surrounding cities.

Those wishing to report an instance of potential child abuse may call the Prevent Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-25-ABUSE.

The Amy Shulz Child Advocacy Center

618-244-2100

203 W. St. Louis Street, Mt. Vernon, IL

The Amy Schulz Child Advocacy Center (mvn.net)

Prevent Child Abuse of Illinois

1-800-252-2873

Prevent Child Abuse Illinois