Boys Town staff from Nebraska and ​Iowa showed their support for the Prevention of Child Abuse as they raced in the second annual Metropolitan Child Advocacy Coalition’s Child Abuse Prevention Council Race for Prevention of Child Abuse on April 9, 2016.

The race took place in Downtown Omaha on the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge; the bridge that connects Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Omaha. Members of various Nebraska and Iowa child and family services organizations came together to take a stand against child abuse.

Both Boys Town Nebraska and Iowa In-Home Family Services (IHFS) teams were present to volunteer and to watch as Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert and Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh met in the middle of the bridge to sign a proclamation recognizing the importance of child abuse prevention and April as Child Abuse Prevention Month.

“It is important for Boys Town staff to team up with other members of the community to show we are in the efforts of protecting children and healing families together,” said Lisa Pierce, Director, In-Home Family Services.

Additionally, the Nebraska In-Home Family Services team placed pinwheels outside of the South Omaha office in an effort to bring awareness to child abuse prevention. Pierce said this serves as a reminder that everyone has a responsibility to keep kids safe. She said, “These pinwheels allow for the community to see them and be reminded that it is an entire community’s responsibility to keep our children safe and free from abuse.”