A proclamation issued by Mayor Mel Pennington during the Hartsville City Council meeting on April 14 declared April 2015 as Child Abuse Prevention Month in the City of Hartsville. Pennington presented the proclamation to Casey Copeland, an advocate in community-building organizations including OneHartsville, as well as Ronald Krein, Director of the Darlington County Department of Social Services.
The proclamation noted that more than 15,000 cases of documented child maltreatment occur every year in South Carolina. It also called for individuals, organization and governments to work together to encourage child development, basic-care skills and discipline strategies for parents to help ensure that children have safe, stable and nurturing environments.
The City of Hartsville will take part in a ceremony honoring Child Abuse Prevention Month on Tuesday, April 21 at 3:30 p.m., when a Pinwheel Garden will be planted in the park.