During its April 4 meeting, the Winters City Council recognized the month of April as both Child Abuse Prevention Month and Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month.
Robert Strange, Police Chief of West Sacramento and member of the Yolo County Child Abuse Prevention Council (CAPC), started off the night’s presentations. He began by reiterating the importance of the topic as a “vital topic across all our communities, and everywhere to be very frank.” Describing CAPC’s mission, Strange said the council seeks “to eliminate child abuse and neglect, and the adversity it causes by strengthening families and communities.”
Strange noted that April is recognized by many communities as Child Abuse Prevention Month, and every year CAPC conducts “a campaign to bring more awareness” and that this month they are bringing a Lisa project exhibit “a multisensory exhibit…that offers a child’s perspective on the generational and cyclical nature of child abuse” to West Sacramento, Davis, and Woodland. Strange stressed that the experience is “pretty heart-wrenching” and may lead to some reliving their own past experiences, and said trauma experts will be onsite for those who need them, but emphasized its ability to express the impacts of these experiences on children.
The Councilmembers, who received invitations to attend the Lisa project event on April 18, thanked Strange and CAPC for their work and provided a statement along with their proclamation recognizing Child Abuse Prevention Month which stated, “preventing child abuse and neglect is a community issue, and we all have a responsibility to nurture and protect our children.”
Information about the Lisa Project can be found at thelisaproject.org. More details about the Yolo County Child Abuse Prevention Council can be found on the Yolo County Children’s Alliance website at www.yolokids.org/child-abuse-prevention-council.
For the second year, the Winters Police Department is inviting the community to participate in its Autism Awareness Blue Patch Project for “Autism Awareness Month.”
The patches are $10 each and can be obtained at the Winters PD lobby, or by mailing payment (cash or check) and a self-addressed stamped envelope to the Winters Police Department, 702 Main St. Winters, CA 95694.
According to a Winters PD social media post, “the patch was designed working collaboratively with Sacramento Autistic Spectrum and Special Needs Alliance and is intended to heighten public awareness about autism, stimulate conversation with the community, and to encourage public awareness about autism. The color blue was used as it is associated with a calm feeling and acceptance in an otherwise loud and busy world for people on the spectrum and the infinity symbol inspires thoughts of inclusivity for people on the spectrum.”
Planning Commissioner Lisa Baker spoke on behalf of the Developmental Disabilities Future Planning Group. Baker noted that April is also Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month and that the organization is “happy that the council is considering recognizing the importance of autism.”
“One of the largest issues facing folks…with disabilities is housing,” Baker explained, and that the DDFP works to ensure that people with disabilities “can live good and prosperous lives,” and thanked the council for the proclamation.
The council’s proclamation, read also by Mayor Bill Biasi, stated in part the “City of Winters residents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families are eager to collaborate with each other, with private agencies, as well as with state and local public agencies in establishing, seeking out, and using local resources that can allow them to participate in, to thrive in, and to contribute to their home community.”
Strange and Baker accepted the council’s proclamations on behalf of their respective organizations.
Three Oaks Park
City Manager Kathleen Salguero Trepa announced that the long-anticipated opening of Three Oaks Park would happen that week. The fences were anticipated to come down on Wednesday. In commemoration of the opening, the City hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, April 8 at 9:30 a.m.
It was followed by an egg hunt hosted by the Winters High School ASB students for local children.
“We’re thrilled to open the much-anticipated Three Oaks Park to the community in time for spring celebrations,” Trepa said.
Updated to include Blue Patch Program information.
