Free Rides on Ohio Wears Blue Day to Bring Awareness to Child Abuse

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. The second Wednesday of April is designated as ‘Ohio Wears Blue Day” to raise awareness of this heartbreaking issue. On April 12, 2023, Ohioans are encouraged to wear blue to work, to school, out in the community to draw attention to the need for the prevention of child abuse and neglect. Blue pinwheels will be planted around our communities by ‘Pinwheel Partners’ as a symbol of child abuse prevention and awareness.

“Last year, we had 45 Pinwheel Partners throughout the county and this year, we hope to have even more,” said Monica Schiffler, Public Relations Specialist for Greene County Children Services. “Plus, there are other Greene County organizations that have begun similar programs. The more people bringing awareness to child abuse prevention in Greene County, the better.”

Fellow Pinwheel Partners, Family & Youth Initiatives (FYI) and Greene CATS have coordinated together to bring awareness of Ohio Wears Blue Day on public transportation. Passengers on board Greene CATS will ride for free and will be given information about all the services FYI offers, as well as child abuse prevention tips.
Executive Director Nikki Stefanow expressed that "FYI's mission is to empower families and provide hope. We know that families and children are suffering every day from trauma caused by generational cycles of poverty and abuse. Our hope is to rescue and protect those families and children to prevent future trauma by redirecting their paths through education, training, and support in our multiple programs. That's why we chose to make Ohio Wears Blue day our day to sponsor free rides. It ties in perfectly with our mission. We have many clients who rely on Greene CATS services regularly. We want people to know we are here for them and will help support them. I would love to see multiple agencies begin sponsoring free ride days to help those who are struggling to get to the services they need because of a lack of transportation. It would be a great collaboration."

“Greene CATS appreciates FYI sponsoring this free ride day for our riders who currently have no other sponsoring agency to pay for their rides, most of whom are on limited or fixed incomes and have been feeling the pinch recently of increased costs for food and other basic necessities. Greene CATS is also glad to join with FYI to shed light on the negative impacts of child abuse on children and families and ways to prevent it,” stated Ken Collier, Executive Director of Greene CATS Public Transit.

“We absolutely love the creative new way to raise awareness that Greene CATS and FYI have come up with this year. It’s great to see the community enthusiasm for this cause,” continued Ms. Schiffler.

Greene CATS provides safe, reliable, and accessible transportation. Scheduled Rides require advance reservation so plan your trip now by calling the Scheduling Office at (937) 708-8322 before April 7th to make your trip request. For Flex Route schedules and maps, visit the Greene CATS website at www.greenecountyohio.gov/GreeneCATS. For more information on FYI’s various programs, visit their website at www.fyiohio.org or call (937) 845-0403.

If your agency or organization would like to sponsor rides on Greene CATS Public Transit, email your interest to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.