Take25

FOR RELEASE

Thursday

May 1, 2008

NATIONAL CHILD SAFETY CAMPAIGN MARKS

NATIONAL MISSING CHILDREN'S DAY

Children's Actions Result in Escape From50 Percent of Attempted Abductions

Alexandria, VA - May 1, 2008 – The second annual, national Take 25 child safety campaign will take place during the month of May in hundreds of communities across the country. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) launched the campaign last year to encourage families to take 25 minutes to talk to their children about safety and abduction prevention. A website for the campaign, www. Take25 .org, lists 25 safety tips that can help save a child's life. The campaign begins May 1 and continues through National Missing Children's Day on May 25. Nationwide, more than 600 events are scheduled in 266 communities and 49 states.

Every year in America , an estimated 800,000 children are reported missing, more than 2,000 children each day. Of that number, 200,000 are abducted by family members and 58,000 are abducted by non-family members, for which the primary motive is sexual. Each year, 115 children are the victims of the most serious abductions; they are taken by non-family members and either murdered, ransomed or taken with the intent to keep. An analysis of attempted abduction cases by NCMEC found that in 56% of the cases, the child escaped would-be abductors by yelling, kicking, pulling away, running away or attracting attention.

May 25 has been observed as National Missing Children's Day since it was first proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1983. The Take 25 campaign will help parents and others teach children to be alert to potential threats and provide simple preventative steps that children can take to stay safe.

“We know teaching children about safety works. Children's actions enable them to escape attempted abductions more than half of the time. It is important that parents and others take the time to talk to their children about these issues,” said Ernie Allen, president and CEO of NCMEC. “The campaign is designed to provide information to make it easy for parents and others to teach their children about safety and prevention. There is no better way to mark National Missing Children's Day than with an initiative designed to empower children and help keep them safe.”

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The Take 25 campaign is proudly sponsored by Lifetouch, the largest employee-owned photography company in the world. Lifetouch provides professional portraits for preschools and schools, houses of worship and the retail market in all 50 states and Canada. National partners include the National PTA, the United States Secret Service, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), Community Oriented Police Services (COPS), and 50 Minor League Baseball teams. In addition, more than 200 other local and national organizations have partnered with NCMEC on this campaign.

A list of cities where events will be held can be found at www.take25.org or on the Spanish language site, www.toma25.org.

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 570,000 leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 140,900 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 124,500 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

Events in Southern IL

Operation Safe Kids

5/16/2008 4:00:00 PM – 8:00:00 PM — Fairview Heights , IL

7 Different Locations in the Metro East ( Illinois part of St. Louis ) where we are doing digital fingerprinting and photographing of kids. The photos and fingerprints print out on a 8 by 10 sheet of paper that the parents can take home. The locations are: Alton Police Department, Alton, IL; KMart, Granite City, IL; YMCA Edwardsville, IL; Mayfest, O'Fallon, IL; St. Clair Square, Fairview Heights, IL; Target and WalMart, Belleville, IL; Market Place, Columbia, IL

Supporting Organization(s): IRS-CI, USSS, USAO , US Probation, USPIS, USMS, HHS-OIG, DOL-OIG, FBI

Locations: 7 Various Locations, Metro East, Fairview Heights, IL 62208 Get Directions

Contact: Kim Singer – 618-779-3627

Operation Safe Kids

5/17/2008 9:00:00 AM – 1:00:00 PM — Fairview Heights ,

Supporting Organization(s): IRS-CI, USSS, USAO , US Probation, USPIS, USMS, HHS-OIG, DOL-OIG, FB

Locations: 7 Various Locations, Metro East, Fairview Heights, IL 62208 Get Directions

Contact: Kim Singer – 618-779-3627