Did you know that April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month? Since the first proclamation in 1983, the month of April has been used to show active support of our families and to take a stand against the heartache and tragedy of child abuse and neglect.

The Blue Ribbon campaign was started by a grandmother whose grandson was the victim of fatal child abuse…she chose the color blue to represent the color of his bruises, but the color blue represents so much more. To me, it represents belonging and believing, it represents something better…our hope and our help to truly make this a Blue Ribbon World for all of our children.

Want to help? Here's something to do…On April 15th–Please Dress in Blue. Show our children that they are a priority. Join myself and others around the country—children, parents, schools and businesses—to show our ongoing support for happy childhoods and bright futures. Dress all in blue, tie blue ribbons where people can see them, and wear a blue ribbon on April 15th, and all month or all year long. Involve your children! Explain to them why you and your family will be wearing blue, have them help you make blue ribbons for family and friends to wear.

Listen with your heart to the small voice of a child. Nurture a child, be an advocate, become educated and involved in legislative children's issues, reach out to your neighbors, and always report signs of abuse and neglect to the authorities. Together we can make this a Blue Ribbon world for our children. For more information on child abuse and neglect, please visit http://www.preventchildabuse.com .