City and county officials proclaimed April to be “Child Abuse Prevention Month.”

It may have been a rainy Thursday afternoon at City Hall, but the gathering of folks in hope to bring light on child abuse prevention encompassed a sunny outlook within our City of Dunkirk community.

Mayor Kate Wdowiasz proclaimed the month of April to be as the “Child Abuse Prevention Month” in the City of Dunkirk with an official announcement held at the Dunkirk City Hall. The mayor opened the small event exclaiming, “This month is a time to come together as a community and reaffirm our commitment to protecting the well-being of every child. All children deserve to grow up in safe, loving homes, surrounded by adults who support and care for them. Preventing child abuse is a responsibility we all share.”

Guest speaker, Diane Butcher, highlighted all the organizations that are working together to reduce abuse numbers in 2025, such as the Department of Social Services, JCLC, CAP AND Safe Harbor to name a few. She went on to say that, “Shedding light around child abuse can be tough, so while there are hard conversations to be had, for the rest of April 2025, we want to make sure we are promoting the Pinwheels for Prevention campaign and bringing light to all the good work we are doing in the community and to ensure our children have bright happy futures.”

Carmelo Hernadez, Commissioner of the Department of Social Services and Mental Hygiene, expressed how much work the County as a whole does regarding child neglect, sex trafficking, and child abuse prevention. He went on to plead, “I come to you as a neighbor, and I ask all our neighbors here in Chautauqua County just to remember to ask this, what can I do, and how can I help?”

The Mayor and the City of Dunkirk support CASA of Chautauqua and its Pinwheels for Prevention Campaign initiative to bring awareness to child neglect. After the proclamation presentation, community members, organization folks and city staff all participated sticking pinwheels into the lawn of Dunkirk City Hall to show support. Smiles could be seen around, even with the cloudy weather.