April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and a local civic club invites the public to a community picnic as a way to promote awareness and encourage involvement.

The Exchange Club of Statesboro will host the family-oriented event Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., said Christina Harrell, club treasurer and event coordinator.

The picnic, which includes jump houses, food, drinks, slides, children’s games, fellowship, and more will be held at the 7 Mile Farm at 7635 Hwy. 46 near the intersection of Sinkhole Road.

 ‘We will have 12 different games, and we will provide lunch,” she said. The event is free.

The carnival style picnic will include prizes for children, and the Bulloch County Sheriff’s K9 Unit will be on hand, she said.

Foster families, inner-city children, and all families are encouraged to attend. The event is held at the 7 Mile farm because the Exchange Club of Statesboro sponsored a fence to surround the farm’s playground, Harrell said. The fence and playground will be dedicated during the day’s events.

According to the organization’s Facebook page, the service club’s mission is to work to “make our communities better places to live.”

The group brings “into greater focus the most pressing issues of the day and affords local clubs the ability to structure activities according to their specific community,” according to the social media site. The club’s programs include: Americanism, youth programs, community service and the national project, prevention of child abuse.  

On a local level,, the Exchange Club of Statesboro engages the community by granting scholarships and attending community events such as parades, where they hand out American flags.

For more information on the club or its upcoming community picnic, contact Harrell at 478-494-5400 or send a message to statesboroexchangeclub@gmail.com.

Herald reporter Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.