Painting for Prevention 2009

In April 2009, for the second time, Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance observed Child Abuse Prevention Month with a “Painting for Child Abuse Prevention” project. The project is designed to build public awareness of child abuse and the important role of family support programs in prevention.

Local organizations came up with ideas for the design of the murals, and artists from Heart to Art (a woman-owned arts education organization) came up with sketches on mural boards. Then, members of the community, families, children and teens collaborated to paint the murals. Last year, the events were held in Harrisburg (at the State Museum of Pennsylvania), Allentown (Lehigh County Government Building), Scranton (Lackawanna County Courthouse Square) and Uniontown (Fayette County Courthouse). It is estimated that over 2,000 people painted on the murals.

Each mural had a different theme. In Harrisburg, the theme was “The Strength of Families”; in Allentown, it was “The Diversity of Families.” The theme for the Scranton and Uniontown murals was ”Children are the Center of Our Universe” and “It Takes a Community,” respectively.

During the month of April, PFSA distributed over 100 copies of the "Strengthening Families and Communities” book, approximately 6,000 blue ribbon pins and hundreds of brochures on positive parenting.

A mousepad was created to commemorate the creation of the murals. Click here to see the completed murals and order a mousepad.

See the 2009 Mural