From left, Elizabeth Bracey, Project Crossroads project manager, Mackenzie Snyder, The Salvation Army Anew Center prevention educator, and Linda Cecchetti, The Salvation Army Anew Center prevention educator, with the Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention Tree inside Jamestown City Hall. April is national Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention month. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

A new April tradition has started at City Hall.

Visitors to the Jamestown Municipal Building, located at 200 E. Third St., Jamestown, might be wondering why there is a Christmas tree in the lobby during the month of April. The tree represents April as national Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention month.

Mackenzie Snyder, The Salvation Army Anew Center prevention educator, said this is the first time the “Awareness Tree” has been on display at City Hall during the month of April. She said people can also see pinwheels in front of the tree, which represents Pinwheels for Prevention for the prevention of child abuse.

Snyder said the Anew Center works with Project Crossroads on prevention programs. Project Crossroads is a Jamestown Police Department program created in 1996 as a domestic violence education plan with the specific goal to reach out into the community to provide intervention through education for the prevention of domestic violence.

In 2005, Project Crossroads partnered with Family Service of the Chautauqua Region to combine the project’s domestic violence education program with its Community and Hispanic Outreach Program to better serve domestic violence victims throughout Chautauqua County.

Elizabeth Bracey, Project Crossroads project manager, said Family Services of the Chautauqua Region brings together agencies like Project Crossroads and Anew Center because they have similar goals. As a United Way agency, Family Service of the Chautauqua Region exists to strengthen the mental health and well being of individuals, families, and our community. This is our mission.

Snyder said Project Crossroads refers victims to the Anew Center. The Anew Center works to be a resource for victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Chautauqua County.

For Sexual Assault Awareness month, the organizations are promoting people to wear the color teal on Tuesday and encouraging people to email the photos to Snyder at mackenzie.snyder@use.salvationarmy.org. Also, April 28 is “Denim Day,” to raise awareness of sexual assault based on a rape case in Ireland where the predator was found innocent because the victim’s jeans were too tight so she was considered to have given consent. Years later the case was overturned and the “Denim Defense” was made illegal. Again, people are encouraged to send photos of them wearing denim to Snyder’s email address.