681 blue ribbons, each one representing a child in Galveston County that was abused in 2016.

For Child Abuse Awareness Month, several Galveston County organizations came together to tie blue ribbons in front of Del Papa Distributing along IH-45.

“Our CPS filings have skyrocketed over the last couple of years,” Galveston County District Attorney Jack Roady said at the event. "The work you are doing is vital and if you think you’ve worn out your message, you haven’t.”

One of the organizations out spreading the word is the Children’s Services Board of Galveston County, a volunteer organization dedicated to addressing issues facing local youth and families.

"All of us must take a role in trying to prevent abuse in our county and if we all do that we can get our numbers down and hopefully some day rid this in our community,” Pct. 3 Commissioner Stephen Holmes said.

The board’s chairperson Jeanette Elias said child abuse is more common in Galveston County than most people think, and awareness starts with talking abou the issue and getting involved.