Members of the Exchange Club of Richmond Hill and Atlantic
Area CASA are joining thousands of groups across the country throughout the month April to promote child abuse prevention awareness in their local communities. The Exchange Club of Richmond Hill and Atlantic Area CASA are displaying a blue pinwheel garden on the lawn in front of Southeastern Bank in Richmond Hill. The pinwheels represent children who are in the foster care system from Bryan County.

The purpose of the Pinwheel Garden and the silhouetted children is to raise awareness about the impacts of child abuse and neglect on our local community. Atlantic Area CASA has been supporting the child welfare system to mitigate these impacts by training community volunteers to advocate for abused or neglected children in courts to ensure the child’s best interests are always kept in mind throughout the process. Atlanta Area CASA serves 6 regional counties including Bryan. In 2025, CASA has supported 30 children with an assigned CASA.

Child abuse prevention is a worthy cause that is engrained in the culture of The National Exchange Club as it is identified as Exchange’s national philanthropy. To champion the cause locally, the Richmond Hill Exchange Club has undertaken a number of awareness and fundraising efforts in the community. Each year, club members wear blue every Monday in April and encourage others to do the same as a way to help spread awareness. In previous years, the club has sold blue ribbon pins in April, planted blue “pinwheel gardens” at many prominent locations in Richmond Hill to commemorate the lives affected by child abuse, and paid for child abuse prevention messages to be displayed on digital billboards.

The Richmond Hill club donates local child abuse prevention projects and they provide “Time Out Teddy Bears” to the local juvenile court judge. The bears are used to comfort children who are required to be part of court proceedings. They are currently running a matching campaign where if you donate half of the cost of a Time out Teddy, the club will match the donation.

To donate to this campaign, visit
https://givebutter.com/time-out-teddys-matching-campaign-oz5tij.

“Child abuse awareness is just not a month for the staff and volunteers of Atlantic Area CASA; it’s a mission and it’s a passion to mitigate the effects abuse or neglect has on children of all ages. CASAs are advocates for children who enter foster care and speak up for what is right for that child,” said Petula Gomillion, Atlantic Area CASA's Executive Director.

For additional information about the work these organizations do to prevent child abuse, please follow the Richmond Hill Exchange Club on Facebook and visit www.atlanticcasa.org for Atlantic Area CASA.