CAMBRIA COUNTY, Pa. -- In Somerset County, 2-year-old Sandra Ferguson died after police said her mother's boyfriend punched her because she was crying.

In Cambria County, an 8-week-old boy was hospitalized with head fractures and broken ribs. Police said it was at the hands of his father.

Those are just two of the more recent cases of abuses that have shocked the Alleghenies. Richland High School teacher, Melissa Vello, said she has had enough.

"I had been hearing more reports on the news about child abuse and neglect," said Vello. "I became bothered by it. I felt helpless."

She wasn't helpless. In fact, Vello soon realized that she could help and so could her students. They teamed up with Prevent Child Abuse America's Pinwheels for Prevention program.

"The pinwheel symbolizes childhood innocence and more importantly, the community effort to get involved in prevention," said Vello.

She decided to educate her students on abuse by showing them a power point presentation on the statistics. They were shocked by how prevalent child abuse really is. The students were instantly motivated to start selling pinwheels for a garden outside the school.

"I thought it was a wonderful cause," said Senior Mark Valkovci. "This was a great way to raise support. I jumped on it as soon as I saw it."

"I realized that maybe I am only 15, but there are a lot of things I can do to make things better for other people," said Nikki Gilpatrick.

Gilpatrick even made pinwheel T-shirts for her fellow students to get the word out.

In total, Richland High School sold 2,000 pinwheels for a dollar each with all the proceeds going to Prevent Child Abuse America.

Teachers said they couldn't be prouder.

"I think all of us, and I don't care what age you are, need a constant reminder," said English teacher Alyson Kaminsky. "If you get numb to it, you don't do things about it."