Lifetouch & NCMEC Reminds Parents to Update Kids Picture

Lifetouch & NCMEC Reminds Parents to Update Kids Picture
Press Release 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 http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/NewsEventServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2396

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