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LIFETOUCH AND THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED
CHILDREN PARTNER WITH SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO LAUNCH SMILESAFE KIDS™
Program Will Provide Free Tools to Families to Assist in the Recovery
of a Missing Child
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - October 4, 2004 - Lifetouch National School
Studios Inc. (Lifetouch) and the National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children (NCMEC) announced today they are partnering with schools around
the country to unveil a new rapid-response system and child safety program
called SmileSafe Kids™. The program, one of America's largest child
safety initiatives, will be available free of charge to kindergarten through
eighth grade children in Lifetouch partnering schools.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice nearly 800,000 children are
reported missing in a one year period of time resulting in an average
of more than 2,000 children each day.
The SmileSafe Kids program contains a rapid-response system that allows
Lifetouch to provide a child's image to NCMEC, in the event of a missing
child, if requested by the family, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Lifetouch will provide an image to NCMEC only if it is requested and verified
by the child's parent or guardian. Parents and guardians can provide NCMEC
with the Safety ID number located on their child's identification card.
The Safety ID number is used by Lifetouch to accurately locate and retrieve
a child's image. This number is unique to Lifetouch and does not contain
any personal information about the child.
In addition, the SmileSafe Kids program will provide free photo identification
cards to parents and guardians including the most current school portrait
of their child, vital information from NCMEC on what to do if a child
is reported missing, and NCMEC's toll free number 1-800-THE-LOST. The
cards will also provide a space for parents and guardians to include information
about their child's physical characteristics.
"Time is the enemy in missing child cases so it's critical that law
enforcement be provided with a quality, current photograph immediately,"
said Ernie Allen, President and CEO of NCMEC. "We're grateful to
Lifetouch for creating a program that partners with 30,000 schools offering
nearly 20 million free Safety IDs to families for use in emergencies.
This program combines prevention with preparedness while offering peace
of mind to families."
According to NCMEC, one in six children featured in their photo distribution
program has been recovered as a direct result of someone recognizing the
child's photo and notifying authorities.
"Our business is based on creating lasting memories for children
and their families," said Wayne Horntvedt, President and COO of Lifetouch
National School Studios. "We can't think of a more positive way to
use our resources than to assist families, law enforcement, and NCMEC
24 hours a day, seven days a week to help in the recovery a missing child."
According to Lifetouch, school administrators, parents, and guardians
are continually looking for ways to build awareness and keep kids safer.
NCMEC also advocates that schools should have some type of prevention
education program on personal safety. This program should be one that
children take part in, enjoy, and most importantly, understand.
"Schools are a valued resource in this partnership and a critical
element to help to educate and build awareness with families," said
Horntvedt. "It is our hope that this type of public and private partnership
can truly make a difference in keeping our kids safer." For more
information about this program, please visit www.smilesafekids.com.
About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which serves as a national clearinghouse
for information and a resource for child protection. It works in cooperation
with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention. NCMEC's congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting
mechanism for child sexual exploitation, has handled more than 270,000
leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement
with more than 100,000 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery
of more than 85,000 children. For more information about NCMEC, please
visit www.missingkids.com or call 1-800-THE-LOST.
About Lifetouch
Lifetouch has been providing high quality portraits to schools and parents
for nearly 70 years and is the largest school photographer in North America.
Lifetouch provides photography services for preschool, elementary and
high school students.
CONTACT:
Maureen Cahill
Lifetouch
952-447-8933
612-385-9164 cell
Communications Department
NCMEC
703-837-6111
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