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Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative and several local organizations are promoting National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, agencies that serve 14 counties in the Bluebonnet region, the Children’s Advocacy Center that serves Bastrop, Lee and Fayette counties, and the SAFE Alliance that operates in eastern Travis County are among the local organizations that support families affected by abuse and neglect.
Bluebonnet’s member service centers in Bastrop, Brenham, Giddings, Lockhart and Manor will be illuminated with blue light at night, blue ribbon decals will be placed on to Bluebonnet’s crew vehicles, and key community events and resources are being shared on our social media channels throughout April. Bluebonnet’s member service representatives will wear shirts every Friday in April with a helping hand and caring heart logo.
The local area organizations welcome volunteers and donations. At CASA, volunteers are adults who have been pre-screened and received training to work with children in the foster care system. Volunteers undergo a pre-screening interview, background check, complete a six-week course with 42 hours of classroom training, homework, online coursework and four hours of courtroom observation. Volunteers are then appointed by judges to represent and advocate for a child’s best interests in the child protection system. Volunteers are assigned to work with one child or a set of siblings.
The Children’s Advocacy Center that serves Bastrop, Lee and Fayette counties and SAFE Alliance would benefit from donations. View their wish lists at childrensadvocacycenter. org/get-involved and safeaustin.org/ get-involved.
If you suspect child abuse, neglect or exploitation, report it by one of two ways: online at txabusehotline.org or by calling the Texas Abuse Hotline at 800-252-5400 (available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year). For more information, go to childwelfare.gov/topics/ preventing/preventionmonth/.
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of the largest electric cooperatives in Texas and has been serving its members since 1939. Bluebonnet serves nearly 145,000 meters and owns and maintains 13,000 miles of power lines, located across more than 3,800 square miles within 14 Central Texas counties. Bluebonnet’s service area stretches from Travis County to Washington County, and from Milam County to Gonzales County. For more information about Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, go to bluebonnet.coop and follow the co-op on Facebook and X.
