In honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month, Cope Family Center, the lead agency for the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Napa County (CAPC), is kicking off a month-long awareness campaign with an emotional display and short ceremony at Napa City Hall. The community is invited to attend the public ceremony on Thursday, April 4, 4:00-5:00 to learn more about the issue of child abuse and demonstrate their commitment to keeping children safe.

In addition to remarks from Cope Executive Director Michele Grupe, District Attorney Allison Haley and Napa Mayor Jill Techel, the ceremony will include a heartbreaking display of 242 pairs of children’s shoes, each pair representing one of the confirmed victims of child abuse and neglect in Napa County in 2018. The exhibit, titled “Walk with Me: In the Shoes of Napa County’s Child Abuse Victims”, will continue at Cope’s Family Resource Center throughout April and will be open to the public Monday – Friday, 8:30-5:00. Cope is located at 707 Randolph St. in downtown Napa.

“One child suffering is one child too many,” said Michele Grupe, Cope’s Executive Director. “Each pair of shoes represents a child whose life was shattered by abuse or neglect. Our hope is that this visual representation of the 242 victims of child maltreatment will inspire the community to learn how they can help prevent child abuse and take action to build a more resilient Napa county.”

Cope is asking for donations of gently used children’s shoes for the exhibit. Donations may be dropped off by April 1 at Cope Family Center or at the Teens Connect collection boxes at Crosswalk Community Church at 2590 First St. and New Tech High School at 920 Yount St.

When the exhibit closes in May, the shoes will be donated to families in our community, including clients of Cope Family Center and NEWS, as well as Soles4Soles, a nonprofit that distributes shoes and clothing around the world.

In addition to the exhibit, Cope and the CAPC will be hosting a variety of other awareness building and fundraising campaigns and events throughout Blue Ribbon Month. For more information and a calendar of events, visit www.copefamilycenter.org/blueribbon2019.