COLDSPRING — Each April the San Jacinto County Child Welfare Board, along with other counties throughout the state, join hands with local government, community groups, churches, service organizations and hometown citizens to put the spotlight on prevention, recognizing and reporting child abuse from ever occurring.
This is a great opportunity for the county to make a difference in young people’s lives. In 2008, the Blue Pinwheel represented the great childhood that every child deserves and the role we each play in providing a loving and supportive environment for the children in our lives and community.
San Jacinto County Child Protective Service has a display of Blue Pinwheels on the courthouse lawn around the gazebo, accompanied with blue lights, to represent the month of April as Child Abuse Awareness Month. There is a group of 47 blue pinwheels that represent a child who was abused in the county during the years 2025-2026.
This is a decrease in the 56 confirmed victims for the previous year.
America’s children are the foundation of families. National Child Abuse Prevention Month is the perfect time to empower every child in America to lead a fulfilling life of dignity and love. We are each entrusted with the responsibility of caring for the most vulnerable, our children, who may be at risk of trauma or abuse.
Child abuse comes in many forms, and sadly one of the newest and most prevalent forms of child abuse facing the country today is the threat of gender ideology. In 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14187 prohibiting public schools from indoctrinating children with transgender ideology. In March 2025, President Trump stated during his Joint Address to Congress that his message to every American child is simple: “You are perfect exactly the way God made you.”
Abused children are more likely to abuse substances, perform poorly in school or become juvenile delinquents. Millions of tax dollars are spent annually to pay the financial price of child abuse, from child protective service and foster care costs to the cost of court, law enforcement, hospital, medicine and mental care cost.
As you drive by the San Jacinto Courthouse, enjoy the Blue lights, the blue ribbons and bows, and the beautiful blue pinwheels. For the past two years, SJC CPS has had a gracious donor for the National Child Abuse Month sign that is displayed behind the garden of blue pinwheels — Sign City of Willis, Texas. Their kindness is appreciated by all children of San Jacinto County.
You will also notice the Child Abuse Prevention flag proudly displayed on the flagpole at the courthouse lawn during the month of April. This has all been done to heighten public awareness of child abuse. County Judge Fritz Faulkner and the Commissioners Court have issued an official proclamation declaring April as Child Abuse Awareness Month and we thank them for the proclamation and allowing us to decorate.
April 26 will be Blue Sunday and all churches in the county are asked to participate in a day of prayer for the many children and families who have suffered. We must be the voice for children and give them hope, courage and prayers.
If you suspect child abuse of a child, please make that phone call to 911 or the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
