Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's
Health
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry
Article
Date: 15 Jan 2009 - 7:00 PST

The Child Abuse Prevention Month Action Committee invites every community to
take action for children by "Building a Blue Ribbon Tree". The blue ribbon is
the international sign for child abuse prevention and serves as a constant
reminder that all of us have a responsibility to help keep children safe.


The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) along with various
community organizations will display pictures of the trees and their sponsor
information during Child Abuse Prevention Month at the State Capitol in April
2009. Last year's theme, "It Only Takes a Minute … to make a difference in the
life of a child," will be used again this year.

A "Tree Registry" form
is provided for people and organizations to register their trees with the OSDH
Office of Child Abuse Prevention where photo entries will be put into a
PowerPoint scrapbook with music to be shown at the state capitol. To
participate, trees must be completed and registered before April 14, 2009. The
registration form is also available to print from the OSDH Web site at http://fsps.health.ok.gov.

To "Build a Blue Ribbon
Tree," select any materials you choose. If using a living tree, choose a highly
visible location and secure needed permission. Creativity is encouraged.
Decorate tree with blue ribbons to represent any of the following:

--The
confirmed number of abused and neglected children in your county
--The
number of new babies born in your community
--Or to show your community's
support for children, or something important to your organization, agency,
program, or community

Source
Oklahoma Dept. of Health