Participants in a child abuse prevention car parade drive past the Oregon State Capitol on April 2, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Cars decked in blue paraded past the Capitol Friday morning past a tree adorned in blue ribbons to raise awareness about child abuse in Marion County.
April is child abuse prevention month and the parade aimed to bring awareness to the issue, with 1,238 reported victims in Marion County in 2019.
Last year, Salem Reporter reported on Salem’s child abuse assessment continuing to see a high case load despite calls to the child abuse hotline declining at the start of the stay-home orders.
Groups involved in the parade include Marion County Community Services, City of Salem, Boys and Girls Club, CASA of Marion County, Family Building Blocks, Salem Keizer School District, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Liberty House, Blue Ribbon Brigade, Marion County Health and Human Services, Options Counseling, ODHS, Catholic Community Services, Exchange Club, HOME Youth & Resource Center, and Early Learning Hub.
-Saphara Harrell
Vehicles line up at the Willamette Heritage Center for a child abuse prevention car parade on April 2, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Participants in a child abuse prevention car parade drive past the Oregon State Capitol on April 2, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Kara Brown, Shaney Star, and Marianne Freeborn, of CASA of Marion County, prep for a child abuse prevention car parade at the Willamette Heritage Center on April 2, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Kara Brown, Shaney Star, and Marianne Freeborn, of CASA of Marion County, ride past the Oregon State Capitol during a child abuse prevention car parade on April 2, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Patrice Altenhofen and Tanya Hamilton, of Family Building Blocks, record as a child abuse prevention car parade drives past the Oregon State Capitol on April 2, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Vehicles line up at the Willamette Heritage Center for a child abuse prevention car parade on April 2, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
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