LAPLACE — By now, most people are familiar with the multicolored ribbon campaigns, which seek to raise awareness for various issues.

Those who are working to prevent child abuse have come up with something a little different.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and Pinwheels for Prevention is a nationwide effort to raise awareness of child abuse through large displays of colorful pinwheels planted in communities across the country.

St. John the Baptist Parish will take part in this effort by planting a pinwheel garden beginning at 10:30 a.m. April 5 at the St. John Community Center on U.S. 51 in LaPlace.

Local volunteers, Parish officials and school children will place 200 blue pinwheels on the grounds to help raise awareness about the role the community plays in the healthy development of children.

The event is open to the public.

This is the second “planting” for St. John Parish and it’s already working, said Akeem Burl of Child Advocacy Services, who is organizing the local event.

“Our case numbers went up and our court system referrals went up,” Burl said.

There are approximately 25 children currently in the foster care system in St. John Parish, some due to abuse and/or neglect.

The good news is, the number of volunteers also went up.

“Our numbers went up about 45 percent,” Burl said. “We got a lot of calls from people wanting to volunteer for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). It did bring attention.”

According to Ginger Cangelosi, the community outreach director for Child Advocacy Services, the pinwheel program replaced the blue ribbon as a national symbol of child abuse prevention three years ago.

“We started with one pinwheel garden in Hammond, and interest and participation has grown,” Cangelosi said. “The garden in LaPlace will be one of 15 large gardens we will be planting in partnership with local city and parish governments, businesses, libraries and schools.”

There are similar events planned throughout the River Parishes in April.

Cangelosi added the organization also offers Gardens to Go, a starter kit containing 20 pinwheels and a sign, for any individual, business, church or groups that want to plant a smaller garden on their own.

Sponsorships of gardens also are welcomed, as are donations, Cangelosi said

According to the National Children’s Alliance, more than 700,000 children are abused annually in the U.S. In 2015, an estimated 1,670 children died as a result of abuse or neglect.

Children’s Advocacy Centers helped more than 300,000 victims of child abuse throughout the country.

Burl and Cangelosi are hoping this year’s event can raise even more awareness.

“Last year’s garden got a great response,” Cangelosi said. “It did spur many calls from people saying, ‘I want to be a volunteer.’ Some people called and said they wanted to bring Christmas presents to the children in our programs.”