DALTON, Ga. — Danny Nuckolls, director of the Whitfield County Division of Family and Children Services, asked DFCS employees to stand.

“Every day they go home, they’ve made someone upset because of a decision they made,” Nuckolls said during the Pinwheels for Prevention child abuse awareness event on Thursday at Dalton City Hall. “If they are lucky, it’s only a few people. It may be a grandparent, parent, teacher or child.” 

Nuckolls said he has a “tremendous amount of respect” for the DFCS workers. Referring to case workers and social workers making house calls, he said, “These folks are the ones who blindly knock on doors of people they don’t know.” He asked those in the audience to think about how they would feel knocking on a stranger’s door. 

“it’s not an easy job,” he said. “They are tasked with the responsibilities of not knowing what’s behind the door.”

Nuckolls said when he started at DFCS in 2014 there were 128 children in foster care. That number increased the next three years to 211, 237 and 255.

“By this time last year we had 275 kids in our care,” he said. 

Nuckolls said 142 cases were closed last year with children going to a home, to a relative or being adopted. Despite that number, Nuckolls said there is still a need for foster homes in Whitfield County.

“We have doubled the amount we have since 2014. That’s good news. Unfortunately, we need a lot more,” he said.

Nuckolls challenged those in the audience to consider the meaning of prevention and action.

“The key word is action,” he said. “What are you doing in your role to influence, motivate, inspire and prevent?” 

Nuckolls said DFCS’ role is to provide services, but it is only one part of the child welfare system.

“Everyone in this room is a part of that system,” he said. “Think about what prevention looks like to you, think about action, and I encourage you to act.”

During the event, Lou Kirkman, board president of the Family Support Council, which organized the Pinwheels event, presented the Heroes Against Child Abuse Awards. 

First place went to Eton Elementary for raising the most money. Second place was North Whitfield Middle School, and third place was Westwood School. Each received a plaque and a check, which was donated back to the Family Support Council.

Kirkman said Eton Elementary has raised $66,767.38 since 2006.

Judy Redmond, principal of Eton Elementary, said she’s retiring at the end of this year. Redmond said Assistant Principal Jennifer Jones, along with parents, students and staff, will continue to be “dedicated to the cause.”

“Your childhood and my childhood was the best ever and our children should have the best, too,” Redmond said.  

On the lawn outside City Hall were 1,498 pinwheels, each representing a report of child abuse or neglect in Whitfield County in 2018.

“It’s a concrete example of children and what should be happy childhoods,” said Mary Smith, child abuse prevention program manager for the Family Support Council. “Some of those represent several children and probably multiplied many times over.”