The BestSelf Behavioral Group is raising awareness of National Child Abuse Prevention Month coming up in April.

The group is planting 3,000 pinwheels in its annual pinwheel garden. Each one is meant to represent a child who reported abuse in Erie County. 

The group says it's a symbol of hope and healing for survivors of child sexual abuse, violence and trauma. The pinwheels are meant to also serve as a visual reminder of the impact of child abuse and neglect on the community, as well as the need for prevention and intervention efforts. 

"This is not an easy problem," said Sam Vaughn, director of the Scott Bieler Child Advocacy Center at BestSelf. "I commend BestSelf for taking on something that is almost impossible to solve and continuing to throw resources and continuing to throw resources behind it."

BestSelf says thousands of children in Western New York are abused every year. Erie County experiences the second-highest number of child abuse and neglect cases in New York state, according to the group.