URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — Hundreds of kids are in the Champaign County court system due to abuse or neglect. Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) works year-round to support them every step of the way, but they’re hoping the community joins in too. 

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month — a time to shed a spotlight on a sobering reality.

“We don’t want abuse and neglect to exist in our community, but the truth is that it does,” said Champaign County CASA Development Director Laura Brown. 

CASA stands by people from the time they’re born to the time they turn 21 as they navigate foster care, the court system and trauma that stems from abuse.

“There’s a lot of adults, a lot of decisions being made for them, and they kind of get caught in a place of not having a lot of control over what’s happening to them,” Brown said. 

Much of the work is private to the kids and CASA. This month is a time to highlight how the community can help.

“These kids are resilient, they have hope, and as a community we have an opportunity and the responsibility to come alongside children and give them the best opportunity to thrive in a safe and permanent home,” Brown said. 

She also said awareness is the first step, and thousands of pinwheels scattered around the community are meant to help with that.

“It sort of represents the whimsy, the playfulness and innocence of childhood,” Brown said. “The children that we serve, that’s sort of been taken away from them.”

The annual Pinwheel Project gives people a chance to publicly show their support for CASA.

“These children are in our community, they’re in our schools, they’re in our churches, they’re on our sports teams — we want to make sure that people understand this is not a distant, someone else’s problem,” Brown said.

The hope is that one day CASA will work themselves out of a job, but until then, there’s more to be done.

“Just investing in kids is so important,” Brown said. “Our kids are our future, and we want them to be whole and healthy and happy.”

Along with the pinwheels, CASA is promoting another way to show support for children going through abuse or neglect. They’re hoping to see people come together on April 4 for Wear Blue Day.