Child abuse awareness event wins award

Jan. 25, 2008 -- Hamilton County's Pinwheels for Prevention child abuse awareness event won the Best award in the Public Service/Tactic category at last night's 2007 Blacksmith Awards presented by the Cincinnati Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

The Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services was recognized along with the top PR agencies, departments and practitioners in the metro area at an awards ceremony attended by more than 100 people at the Contemporary Arts Center.

"Child abuse is a major problem in Hamilton County," states the award entry. "Yet, many county residents remain unaware of the magnitude."

To build awareness, the county’s leading child abuse prevention organizations -- including Job and Family Services, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, the Hamilton County Family and Children First Council and the Council on Child Abuse of Southern Ohio -- staged the highly visible Pinwheels for Prevention in March and April of 2007. It was part of the national Pinwheels for Prevention campaign.

Students from inner city high schools planted more than 5,600 colorful pinwheels – one for each reported case of child abuse in the county in a year – in a lot in the heart of Cincinnati, within the view of thousands of fans attending Reds baseball games and visitors to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. The coalition sought to attract the attention of passers-by and, more importantly, the media.

Seven months in advance, the organizations began carefully planning the second-annual event. They decided to hold a kickoff event/press conference while students placed the final pinwheels in the ground. (The first year, the setup and kickoff were held on consecutive days.) This presented wonderful visuals for TV and newspaper photographers—and gave them comments from a variety of sources, ranging from students to leaders of social service agencies to the father of a survivor of Shaken Baby Syndrome.

Besides sending press releases and media pitches, the team delivered cakes with pinwheels logos, along with actual pinwheels, to four TV newsrooms at 5 a.m. the day of the event. This gave newscasters a visual to use during their newscasts.

Planners moved the kickoff date to just before the Cincinnati Reds’ Opening Day, a major happening that includes a huge parade. They also got the Reds involved. They put announcements on the scoreboard (for free) and sent their mascot to the kickoff, lending some levity to the seriousness of the occasion. After the press conference, the students were treated to lunch in the Freedom Center cafeteria. They also got a t-shirt as a reward—and to help get the Pinwheels for Prevention brand into photos and TV broadcasts. 

Using $2,000 in federal child abuse prevention funds, billboards were purchased throughout the county to help build buzz.  

Results

All four TV news stations, several radio outlets, and both daily newspapers covered Pinwheels for Prevention before and after the kickoff—and throughout launch day. Photo spreads, blurbs at the top of “things to see” columns, brief articles… drove home the message. The dramatic display made a powerful statement in newspaper photos and TV footage.

Many residents made a special trip downtown to take their own photos. The simplicity of the display helped build awareness in citizens of all ages and backgrounds.

If you mentioned Pinwheels for Prevention, people knew what you were talking about. They usually followed that up with a statement of astonishment about the magnitude of child abuse in our county. They asked what steps they could take to prevent abuse from happing.

In just its second year, the annual Hamilton County Pinwheels for Prevention display has increased awareness greatly.