RCCS brings out 'giant pinwheel' for Miss Ohio Parade

MANSFIELD – With a brisk wind blowing, Sunday was a great day for Richland County Children Services to take its huge blue, metal pinwheel out for a ride.

The traditional symbol of the fight against child abuse and neglect was again on display as more than 40 agency employees and their families, clad in the familiar blue shirts, participated in the annual Miss Ohio Parade through downtown Mansfield. (Click here for a photo gallery from the event.)

The pinwheel, fashioned by talented students a few years ago at Madison Comprehensive High School, literally turns in the wind -- and spins fast when the breeze picks up.

"We love to use the big, blue pinwheel at parades," said agency communications supervisor Carl Hunnell. "When people see that pinwheel, just like the small ones we plant in the ground each April, they think about the local problems with child abuse and neglect."

The agency received more than 7,000 phone calls from the public in 2010 and launched a record 2,900 investigations.

"We hate to see record numbers like that, because it means more local children and families need assistance," Hunnell said. "But we also take heart in the fact local residents trust us enough to call us because they know we will respond."

RCCS participates in numerous community activities, including the Miss Ohio Parade, which saw employees handing out candy to children along the route. The agency also walks in the annual Halloween and Holiday parades in Mansfield and is an active participant in such events as the Richland County Fair, Shelby Bicycle Days, Lexington Blueberry Festival and the Bellville Street Fair.

"We know there are times when residents don't like to see us knocking the door because our arrival means there are concerns about the safety of children," Hunnell said. "That's why it is so very important we get out and participate in positive community events. We are a vital part of this community and we will do all we can to support it.

The agency will host a booth this weekend at the annual Juneteenth celebration in Mansfield. Employees will hand out free popcorn and other items, answer questions and seek interested foster parent applicants.