Blue T-Shirts raise awareness for Child Abuse Prevention Month

INA, Ill. (May 3, 2016) - Students in blue roamed Rend Lake College’s campus Friday morning in an effort to raise awareness about April being National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

The students, all enrolled in Dr. Jeannie Mitchell’s Child Psychology course, handed out flyers and cookies in every building on campus while dressed in their own, handmade blue T-shirts - the most popular reading, “It shouldn’t hurt to be a child.” The flyers were filled with information and facts about child abuse.

The students pictured created their own blue T-shirts to bring awareness to Child Abuse Prevention Month. They are, in alphabetical order, Alexi Bellamy (Bonnie), Conner Buretz (Mt. Vernon), Courtney Conrad (Benton), Breya Cooper (McLeansboro), Brooklyn Fowler (Ina), Kylan Hallam (Mt. Vernon), Peyton Jennings (Valier), Kaitlyn Jones (Thompsonville), Kendall Kaskie (Mt. Vernon), Brittany Knapp (Tamaroa), Kathryn Marlow (Mt. Vernon), Jayme Martinez (Benton), Jordan Mullen (Mt. Vernon), Emily Palmer (Mt. Vernon), Dustin Payne (Sesser), Jennifer Rich (West Frankfort), Drae Rose (Springerton), Kayley Scott (Mt. Vernon), Andrea Shaw (Benton), Morgan Simpson (Pinckneyville), Skylyn Simpson (Sesser), Whitney Summers (Thompsonville), Maude Wheeler (McLeansboro), Jacob Williamson (Bell Rive), and Brody Wilson (Wayne City). Click on the image for a larger view.
(ReAnne Palmer / RLC Public Information)

Mitchell, RLC’s Psychology Professor, said her Child Psychology class completes the project every year for a few points, but the project has a much more important goal.

“It started as an easy way to disperse information on campus while involving students directly,” said Mitchell. “Child abuse is one of my least favorite topics, but necessary to discuss in Child Psych, so this is a way to inform people, but have a little fun.”

During the course, students also read the book, “A Child Called IT” by Dave Pelzer and listen to guest speakers from the area who work with child abuse in some capacity.

“We need to finish this dreary subject with a fun activity,” said Mitchell. “Students like getting to create their own shirt; they like that autonomy. Adding the cookies is a way to gain a smile from recipients considering it’s such a dark topic. So, when someone is handed the informational flyer, they also get a cookie and a smile.”