Why Would Someone Steal 200 Pinwheels?

It was a caper that baffled Patricia Murphy of the GFWC Pasco Junior Woman’s Club.

On Easter Sunday, club members placed 400 shiny blue and silver pinwheels honoring Child Abuse Prevention month on State Road 56 as part of their Pinwheels for Prevention project. Three days later, half were gone.

“We had our permit number on our sign as required so I assume they were stolen,” said Murphy, the project’s chairwoman, in a news release.

Now, new pinwheels have replaced the missing ones thanks to landowner Sierra Properties. They can be seen along SR 56 from Wesley Chapel Boulevard to Interstate 75.

The Pinwheels for Prevention project is taking place throughout April, and the purpose of the Juniors’ SR 56 display is to increase awareness of child abuse prevention techniques, Murphy said.

“We are hoping that people will see the Pinwheels and then search local media outlets for more information,” Murphy wrote in an event listing on the Patch calendar. “Juniors are hoping to work with news outlets in our community to educate Pasco residents on prevention techniques.”

Let Patch save you time. Get great local stories like this delivered right to your inbox or smartphone everyday with our free newsletter. Simple, fast, sign-up here.

The club is inviting businesses, civic groups, places of worship and non-profits to buy the pinwheels for $5 to show their support of the project, according to an Announcement Murphy posted on Patch. Money raised will support local initiatives to educate Pasco residents on alternatives to abusing children to release their anger. Parenting classes are sponsored in part by the Department of Children and Families and Prevent Child Abuse America for parents that have lost their children due to abuse or neglect.

The club has raised $2,400 through the project, Murphy said.

But she said she still can’t understand why someone would want to steal the pinwheels in the first place.

“I stopped and spoke to the three construction crews working on State Road 56 and they all said the same thing, the pinwheels were there on Tuesday and gone when they came to work on Wednesday,” Murphy said in the release. “Even the fella that has the fruit stand couldn’t believe it.”

For more information about the Pinwheels for Prevention project, visit the GFWC Pasco Junior Woman’s Club online or email GFWCPascoJuniors@gmail.com.

What do you think happened to the pinwheels? Tell us in the comments.