Foster care pinwheel event joined by small group in black

4:38 AM, Apr. 5, 2011
Written by KATHIE DICKERSON
Staff Writer Coshocton Tribune

COSHOCTON, Ohio -- April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the 219 blue and silver pinwheels placed on the corner of Main and Sixth streets were joined by 10 black pinwheels Monday morning.

A few parents were there, too, holding signs to represent the We The People Family Preservation organization, a nonprofit group raising attention about children abused in foster care. The black pinwheels represent children who died while in foster care nationwide, said L. Wilson, a member of the group and a Coshocton resident.

Wilson said more than 80 percent of the children placed in foster care are there under false allegations, and parents should be aware of their rights.

That is not the case, said Mindy Fehrman, director of Coshocton County Job and Family Services, under which Children Services operates.

"Our mission is to make sure children are safe, whether it's with their parents, relatives or foster care," she said. "We do everything we can to make sure that happens." FULL STORY

Note to Mindy Fehrman-