Pueblo Children Advocacy Center honors 21 people with Blue Capes

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) - The Pueblo Children's Advocacy Center is awarding 21 individuals, organizations, or partners with a custom-made blue cape that has a pinwheel on it, in honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month.

It is an initiative that began this year to honor those who have helped the center during the past difficult year.

Last year, the center noticed an increase in calls for child abuse and neglect at their center. According to Luann Martinez, the development coordinator at the Pueblo Children's Advocacy Center, they usually see 300 children a year, but in 2020 that number went above 400.

Martinez believes the pandemic contributed to this. She says the 'Safer at Home' initiative issued by Governor Jared Polis last year, was not safer for some children. The reason for seeing this number go up had a lot to do with the severity of the cases. Martinez says many calls were from medical staff and police.

But the center believes this has a lot to do with the center hosting online webinars for family members to inform them on what child abuse and neglect looks like.

The blue C.A.P.E stands for Child Advocacy Protection Effort. The last cape will be given at their Blue Cape Breakfast on June 24.  

Capes for 2021: