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NATIONAL MISSING CHILDREN’S DAY IS MAY 25
THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED CHILDREN AND
LIFETOUCH REMIND FAMILIES TO HAVE AN UP-TO-DATE PHOTO OF THEIR CHILDREN
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – May 23, 2006 – In recognition
of Missing
Children’s Day on May 25, the National Center for Missing &
Exploited Children® (NCMEC) and Lifetouch, the nation’s
largest school photography company, are reminding parents and guardians
to keep an up-to-date photo of their child available at all times in case
of an emergency.
Because having a current image is so important in the search for a missing
child, NCMEC partnered with Lifetouch nearly three years ago to develop
the SmileSafe Kids™
program. One of the largest child safety initiatives in the country, SmileSafe
Kids will have distributed more than 60 million photo identification cards
free of charge to parents and guardians in Lifetouch-partnering schools
by fall of 2006. The ID cards include NCMEC’s safety tips and information
on what to do in the event of a missing child, as well as NCMEC’s
toll-free hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.
In addition, the SmileSafe Kids program also offers an exclusive 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.
“A photograph is the number one tool used by law enforcement in
the case of a missing child,” said Ernie Allen, president and CEO
of NCMEC. “That is why we chose to work with Lifetouch on this effort
and we have been thrilled with the success of the program.”
Since the program began, SmileSafe Kids has helped in the recovery of
six children as a direct result of the image provided by Lifetouch. 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. Thankfully the vast majority of these children
are recovered quickly.
“Families and schools have been thrilled with the SmileSafe Kids
program, especially because it provides them with important and useful
tools without requiring them to pay money or invest more time to get it
done, since the SmileSafe Kids photo is the same one taken on fall school
portrait day,” said Chuck Feltz, President and COO of Lifetouch
National School Studios.
New York City Council Endorses SmileSafe Kids
The New York City Council passed a resolution in April 2006 urging the
New York Department of Education and daycare centers throughout the city
to partner with Lifetouch and the SmileSafe Kids™ program. Lifetouch
currently operates in 435 New York City schools.
“Time is the enemy in missing child cases so it’s critical
that law enforcement be provided with a quality, current photograph immediately,”
Allen said. “We’re grateful to Lifetouch for offering the
SmileSafe Kids program to more than 35,000 Lifetouch partnering schools
and families nationwide.”
For more information about this program, please visit www.smilesafekids.com.
About Lifetouch
Lifetouch has been providing high quality portraits to schools and parents
for 70 years and is the largest school photographer in North America.
Lifetouch provides photography services for preschool, elementary, middle
and high school students. For more information on Lifetouch go to www.lifetouch.com.
About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
(NCMEC)
NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that 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 387,800
leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement
with more than 119,800 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery
of more than 102,200 children. For more information about NCMEC, call
its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site
at www.missingkids.com.
CONTACT:
Teresa
McFarland
952-440-6084
952-484-8088 cell
Communications Department
NCMEC
703-837-6111
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