April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
Strong Families
Strong Kids
Strong Communities
Every April, we celebrate Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) & Strengthening Families Month with initiatives, events, and free community trainings, to empower child-serving professionals and families to recognize the warning signs of child abuse and neglect, understand dynamics of abuse, coercion, and exploitation, and learn how to report on suspicions of abuse.
Press Conference | April 4, 2024, 5:00 PM @Marquette County Courthouse.
Join the Marquette County Prosecutor's Office, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, The Marquette County Sheriff's Office, and Northern Lights Child Advocacy Center to kick off Child Abuse Prevention & Strengthening Families Month.
Wear Blue Day | April 5, 2024 - Celebrate Child Abuse Prevention Strengthening Families Month and show your commitment to preventing child abuse, neglect, trafficking, and exploitation by wearing blue this day especially, and throughout April.
There are lots of creative ways to partner - set up Wear Blue Fridays at your work/ school, post information about child abuse awareness and prevention, purchase merch from our shop, etc.
Reach out to info@northernlightscac.org to partner and collaborate.
Use #MIwearsblue #WearBlueDay #StrengtheningFamiliesMonth #ChildAbusePrevention and @Northernlightscac in your social media to spread awareness of the event and mission of Child Abuse Prevention & Strengthening Families Month.
Check out our interactive CAP Month Calendar ⬇ - get linked to community events and programs.
Blue Sunday Day of Prayer | April 28, 2024 - Faith & Spiritual Communities are invited to celebrate Blue Sunday by dedicating their sermon, prayers, and intentions to preventing child abuse, neglect, trafficking, and exploitation. Churches who want to participate can join in many ways; encourage their congregation to wear blue, take collection to donate to Northern Lights Child Advocacy Center, schedule time to tour our agency and learn more about our services, schedule free prevention trainings like Darkness to Light™, create a prayer chain, and more.
Thank you, NMU Art Therapy Club for hosting a resource drive for us!
Your donation of office supplies, individually wrapped snacks, and hygiene care items, will make a big difference for the families served by Northern Lights Child Advocacy Center. Help us by sharing the flyer, or add to your classroom.
You can drop off items at the Northern Center NMU, April 18, 2024
4pm-6:30pm, and April 19, 2024 12pm-3:30pm.
Drop off is also available anytime 4/15 - 4/19 at the Crib, Marquette Food Co-op, Marquette Superone, and Starbucks in Jamrich.
@ Businesses & Corporate Partners!
There are several ways your business or organization can get involved to promote child welfare and strong families. Give your brand positive customer attention with your support of local prevention efforts. Connect with our team for any additional ideas you have on ways we can team up and keep kids safe.
We need a hero!
Become a Hope Sponsor
We are looking for a dedicated champion this season to make a big difference in the lives of children and families in our community.
A hope sponsor is a leader taking a clear, committed stand against child exploitation and maltreatment.
Our goal is to raise at least $10K for prevention programs with the help of local businesses and corporate giving. We need just 1-3 businesses to help us reach this goal. These Hope Heroes get some exclusive perks too:
Be recognized at the Press Conference kicking off Child Abuse Prevention & Strengthening Families Month at the Marquette County Courthouse, on Thursday, April 4, 2024 @ 5:00 PM. Yard Signs with your business' logo will displayed at the event as well.
Your logo will be listed in marketing for CAP Month events, at 5-6 tabling events at various family and child-serving organizations including YMCA, PWPL, and Great Start Collaborative, listed in our blog on our website, and in thank you messages on social media throughout the month.
Create Custom Signature Products/ Services
Showing your support with custom signature products/services helps two-fold; it shares awareness of Child Abuse Prevention and Strengthenings Families Month through direct customer engagement and gives an opportunity to raise funds for needed community prevention services.
You can create a special limited-time product or service that is blue-themed or CAP Month focused, and create an up-charge option in your point-of-sale to donate to Marquette Alger CAN Council/ NLCAC. Confirm your product so we can feature it on social media and promote your business. Our team can work with you on marketing the product/ service.
Examples include; blueberry desserts, blue-colored drinks, a blue pinwheel manicure service, etc. Your creativity, and the positive impact of community-minded engagement, will drive positive customer perceptions of your brand. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit, so your donation will be tax-deductible! Connect with ethan@northernlightscac.org to have your product featured on our website, and social media!
In-Store Donations
Give Opportunities to your Customers to Give Back
Helping feels good. Showing customers you are dedicated to causes close to their hearts, and empowering them to give, builds community, awareness, and positive brand association.
Businesses can purchase our $1 Pinwheel Postcards and add a donation to your POS. Earn back your up-front donation via customers’ donations. Have customers sign their names and post their pinwheels in your business to further our reach and awareness campaign.
Connect with our ethan@northernlightscac.org to order any amount of pinwheel postcards.
Encourage Employee Giving
Set up Wear Blue Fridays, Blue Jeans/ Casual Fridays, etc., and have staff donate to participate.
Consider matching employee donations to incentivize giving.
Invite NLCAC Staff to come talk with your team to share more information about our services for families, or set up a tour/ visit our Child Advocacy Center. Go to northernlightscac.org/tour
Organize a volunteer service day to help landscape the center, or organize a resource drive.
Light up the Dark!
Change your outdoor lights to blue.
This is a fun way to show support and start conversations with customers about Child Abuse Prevention Month. Tell them how you are helping to light up the dark for families across Marquette County!
Free ways to support:
Share Prevention Resources
Help support our prevention efforts by sharing tips on child abuse prevention, how to make a report, and info on our services with your customers/ clients. We can share flyers, or video to share in your lobby and collaborate on adding your branding. Reach out to ethan@northernlightscac.org
Use Your Reach
Your support in sharing our message with your audience would make a huge impact in growing our reach.
Follow us on Facebook & Instagram
Like & Share our posts throughout April
Join us for Wear Blue Day on April 5 - post a photo of your staff in blue and tag us:
#MIwearsblue #WearBlueDay #StrengtheningFamiliesMonth #ChildAbusePrevention. Tag us @northernlightscac
Change your email signature to blue and share prevention info.
