Join child advocates at the Capitol as they raise awareness about child abuse prevention. 

WHAT: PA Family Support Alliance (PFSA), widely recognized as the leading expert on child protection and child abuse prevention in Pennsylvania, will host its outdoor flag planting and annual Blue Ribbon Champions for Safe Kids ceremony at the Capitol on Tuesday, April 4 to kick off National Child Abuse Prevention Month. 

PFSA will start the morning by planting thousands of blue ribbon flags along State Street. These flags visually symbolize the number of substantiated child abuse cases that occurred in Pennsylvania in 2021. According to the Department of Human Services’ Child Protective Services 2021 Annual Report, there were 5,036 substantiated cases of child abuse, 58 substantiated fatalities, and 136 substantiated near fatalities. 

Afterward, PFSA will head to the Capitol Rotunda for a ceremony to honor four Pennsylvania residents who went above and beyond the call of duty to protect children last year. These individuals, known as Blue Ribbon Champions, will receive an award during a ceremony featuring DHS Acting Secretary Valerie Arkoosh, members of the Senate Aging & Youth Committee and the House Children and Youth Committee, local lawmakers, and others. 

For decades, PFSA has been a trusted resource in the Commonwealth, committed to raising awareness and educating—both the public and professionals who work with children— about the warning signs of abuse and neglect. 

WHEN: Tuesday, April 4, 2023 

8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. – Flag Planting, Third and State Streets 

10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – Ceremony, Capitol Rotunda) 

WHO: Department of Human Services Acting Secretary Val Arkoosh 

Senate Aging & Youth Committee Members 

House Children and Youth Committee Members 

PFSA President and CEO Angela Liddle 

PFSA Staff and Board Members 

Child Advocates 

Among Other Local Elected Officials and Guests: 

Rep. Patty Kim (D-Cumberland and Dauphin) 

Rep. Sheryl Delozier (R-Cumberland) 

Rep. Justin Fleming (D-Dauphin) 

Dauphin County Commissioner George Hartwick 

Cumberland County District Attorney Sean McCormack 

For local interest, performances during the ceremony will feature the Susquehanna Township High School Chorus, Cumberland Valley High School Cello Quartet, and Dauphin County 4-H Fur & Feathers Club. 

From Capitol Wire, March 30, 2023