Thursday, May 24, 2012

May 25th Is National Missing Children's Day

The thought of not being able to locate your child strikes fear into every parent. A million thoughts swirl through your head as you frantically search for your child and speak to every passerby who meets your eye about your child's whereabouts and physical description. 


Sadly, across America, thousands of parents understand and cope with this chilling predicament on a daily basis. 


On May 25th a somber event occurs called National Missing Children's Day. This yearly event was put into effect in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan. 


This day also happens to be the day that Etan Patz disappeared in 1979. This New York born six-year old's story gripped a nation and left an indelible mark which catapulted childhood abduction into the spotlight. 


In recent years the AMBER Alert system has also revolutionized the rescue of missing kids. Through the use of the media such as t.v. crawls and radio announcements many children have been safely located by the public. Learn about the AMBER Alert system by clicking on the following link:  http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2813


 Thankfully organizations have committed themselves to locating and comforting families of those who are assumed as missing. 


Below you will find links to some of these tremendous and worthy organizations fighting to keep our kids safe and improve the lives of those searching for their lost children. 


Take 25 (Developed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
http://www.take25.org/page.asp?page=47 
Please also see "Activity Ideas" from Take 25 to help children understand the importance and seriousness of safety precautions: http://www.take25.org/page.asp?page=68


Please also see the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's Homepage where you can search for missing children, find information about how to report a missing child, and learn about ways to protect your children. 
http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PublicHomeServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&


Child Find of America's Facts and Statistics about Missing Children 
http://www.childfindofamerica.org/information.htm


Book and DVD About Child Abduction 
Missing and Exploited Children: How to Protect Your Child by Margaret C. Jasper 
Kidz n' Power: Abduction Prevention Pack (DVD) 





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