Light Up Blue
Category: Blue Ribbon Activity
Light Up Blue
Illuminate Your Commitment to Raise Awareness About Child Abuse
Join the Family Nurturing Center
In participating in Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month
Presented By:
This year, Haven Lighting is generously matching donations up to $10,000, doubling the impact of every gift.
As we approach the month of April, we have a unique opportunity to stand together in solidarity for a cause that profoundly affects our communities—Prevent Child Abuse Awareness Month.
The month of April serves as a crucial reminder of our responsibility to protect and nurture the children around us, ensuring they grow up in safe and supportive environments. We invite you to join the Family Nurturing Center in raising awareness by lighting up your facilities with blue lights and incorporating blue decorations throughout your spaces. The color blue symbolizes hope and support, and your participation will help illuminate the conversation surrounding child abuse prevention.
Here are a few ways your organization can get involved:
- Light Up Your Space: Replace your regular lighting with blue bulbs or add blue spotlights to your exterior. This simple yet impactful gesture will make a statement and spark conversations within your community.
- Decorate in Blue: Incorporate blue ribbons, banners, and other decorations in and around your facilities. Share photos on social media with the hashtag #FamilyNurturingCenterBlue4Kids to amplify our message and inspire others to take part.
- Engage Your Team: Encourage your staff and volunteers to wear blue throughout the month. Host FREE Stewards of Children training sessions provided by the Family Nurturing Center on child abuse prevention to foster a culture of awareness and support.
- Spread the Word: Share information about child abuse prevention resources with your network. Knowledge is a powerful tool in safeguarding our children.
- Host fund raising events to support the Family Nurturing Center and the work they do.
Light Up Blue for Kids Participation Form
This year, Haven Lighting is generously matching donations up to $10,000, doubling the impact of every gift.
Local Businesses Already Committed in 2026
Haven Lighting – Presenting Sponsor
Thrive Empowerment Center
ByGolly’s Union
Diocese of Covington Curia
Florence Y’All Tower
Fort Thomas water tower
M&P Logistics
First National Bank of KY
Hemmer Construction
Aviatra Accelerators
Alliant Insurance Services
Village of Woodlawn pedestrian bridge
4 Hounds Gear & Grooming
Dairy Queen- Erlanger, KY
Cincinnati Reds
OneDigital
Fountain Square- 3CDC
Niceley’s Heating Cooling and Appliance Repair
Cornerstone Equipment
Embellish FX, LLC
Best Buy ATV’s
First Financial Convention Center
By shining a light on this important issue, we can foster awareness and promote a collective commitment to protecting our children. Let’s work together to make April a month of hope and action.
Let me know if I can put your organization on the list of participants Illuminating Your Commitment to Raising Awareness About Child Abuse in April. We can provide you with information to share with your team and the people you serve. And we will promote that you have supported bringing awareness to this vital cause. Together, we can make a difference!
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
April is recognized around the world as Child Abuse Prevention Month. The blue ribbon is the symbol for child abuse prevention.
In 1989 following the death of her grandson at hands of his parent, a grandmother tied a blue ribbon on the antenna of her car to alert the community on issue of child abuse.
Family Nurturing Center promotes the Blue Ribbon Campaign as a community awareness and education prevention campaign to recognize our collective responsibility to prevent and confront all forms of child abuse and neglect.
Child abuse is entirely preventable, but not without your help.
The Blue Ribbon Ceremony is Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at Tom Gill Chevrolet!
Learn all the ways you can promote awareness.
Take a selfie for Wear Blue Day and share with your social media friends.
Read how your church can join this international day of prayer.
The winning entry will be displayed by TANK for the month of April!
2026 Children’s Art Contest
KIDS: We need your creativity to raise awareness for Child Abuse Prevention Month in April!
Our annual contest is open to any child in 4th through 8th grade. Entries should be on paper size (8 1/2 x 11) Horizontal. The winning entry will be reproduced as an advertisement and displayed inside TANK buses during the entire month of April. The winning artist will win a pizza party for their school classroom, scout group, church class, or youth club. This year’s theme is: Pinwheels of Possibility. All Entries must include a signed Parent/Guardian Consent Form available at www.familynurture.org and also included in the packet. The winner and their family will be asked to attend the Blue Ribbon Ceremony to be recognized for their art. The ceremony is hosted by Tom Gill Chevrolet in Florence, KY and more details on the date and time will be communicated to the winner.
Prizes
2025 Winner Paige Smith
Villa Madonna Academy
Art Contest
2024 Family Nurturing Center Art Contest
KIDS: We need your creativity to raise awareness for Child Abuse Prevention Month in April!
If you’re in grades 4-8 in Northern Kentucky, we invite you to create a picture that shows awareness of child abuse prevention and/or positive parenting, representing the theme:
Safe children
Thriving families
Nurturing communities
Prizes
The wining artist will:
Continue reading
Blue Sunday 2026
Places of worships for all faiths are asked to join together in a day of prayer to demonstrate their appreciation to those who help abused or neglected children, and to support children and families who have been touched by abuse. National Blue Sunday Day of prayer for abused children began in 1994 with 20 churches. It’s grown to include more than 7.4 million participants on five continents.
Learn more about faith based initiatives and register your place of worship at www.bluesunday.org.
Does your place of worship have a safe sanctuaries policy or guidelines to reduce the risk of child abuse? Do you conduct a reference check and criminal background check on all of your employees and volunteers? Have you done a proactive self-evaluation to assess policy needs to protect children in the church’s care? Are your staff trained to know the signs and indicators of sexual abuse?
Learn ways to protect children and by hosting a FREE Stewards of Children workshop.
To read a sample safe sanctuaries policy created by the General Conference of the United Methodist Church click here. Another great resource for questions to ask your volunteers comes from Crossroads Church’s Kids Club Adult application .
Check out all of our Blue Ribbon Campaign events and activities
Wear Blue Day in Ohio and Kentucky
A simple gesture can make all the difference. Ask your coworkers to join you for Wear Blue Day.
Check back closer to April for the specific days!
- Kentucky – Wednesday, April 1st, 2026 (#WearBlue4KYkids)
- Ohio – Wednesday, April 8th, 2026 (#OhioWearsBlue2026)
Help generate awareness about child abuse and neglect. Business owners – Encourage employees to wear blue jeans to work by making a donation to support Family Nurturing Center’s programs and services for children and families.
Post your Wear Blue Day selfie and tag us on Facebook!
#WearBlue #WearBlue4KYkids #OhioWearsBlue2026 #stopchildabuse #FamilyNurturingCenter
Blue Ribbon Ceremony 2025 at Tom Gill Chevrolet.
Blue Ribbon Trees and Pinwheels for Prevention
Everyone has the power to make a difference in the life of a child. Choose to be the difference and Build a Blue Ribbon Tree with the rest of Northern Kentucky. Select a Tree or Construct a Tree – creativity appreciated and encouraged! Decorate the tree with Blue Ribbons (store bought or home-made).
Hang ribbons on trees to represent any of the following:
- The number of students who attend a local school or child care
- Reward kids for random acts of kindness with their name on a blue ribbon
- Use the ribbons to show your business’s support for children in general
- Something significant to your business, school or town that shows the importance of child abuse prevention education.
@familynurture #WearBlue4KYKids #OhioWearsBlue2026 #stopchildabuse #FamilyNurturingCenter
Plant a Pinwheels for Prevention garden in front of your school, place of worship, or business. You can order pinwheels directly from our friends at Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky (PCAK). Visit Pinwheels for Prevention at PCAK.
Blue Ribbon Ceremony at Tom Gill Chevrolet
Blue Ribbon Ceremony is Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at Tom Gill Chevrolet!
Check out all of our Blue Ribbon Campaign events and activities
