new national missing child prevention campaign announced

[teramiabullfrog]

the NCMEC announced today: "New National Child Safety Campaign is Launched to Mark 25th National Missing Children's Day".

the "TAKE 25 CAMPAIGN" encourages families to take 25 minutes to talk to their children about safety and abduction prevention (www.Take25.org)

they have 25 safety tips to talk about on that web site.

Great another federal national law, program, or campaign to help find and/or prevent missing children. why don't they just fix the federal laws, programs, and campaigns that are already in existence and being annually federal funded - if they were managed and fixed so they function at the level of efficiency they were originally intended, instructed, and funded, a lot of the active missing person cases would be solved and a lot fewer missing person reports would be filed every year.

there's already the "BE SMART-KNOW THE RULES-CAMPAIGN", endorsed by the Congressional Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children and managed by the NCMEC, that educates the "FOUR RULES":
1. Never Go Alone - Consciously Plan Ahead to be With a
Friend Whenever You Go Anywhere.
2. Let an Adult Know Where You Are Going (*and when you
arrive).
3. Say "no" if you feel threatened and tell an adult you trust.
4. avoid situations or places that make you feel uncomfortable
and confused.
(* added by the F.O.C.U.S. Organization)

so, now the federal government is starting another national campaign that they can mismanage and under-utilize (how much money was appropriated for this campaign to help line politicians pockets?).

by the way National Missing Children's Awareness Day is May 25th.

[Dorkette]

Last night I learned that since the beginning of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children began the statics for finding a missing child have gone from 64% to 96%.

I also learned that $.94 of every dollar is spent on finding the missing little ones. $.06 isn't too bad for admin costs.

I am proud to be a supporter.

Dorkette

[teramiabullfrog]

Originally Posted by Dorkette

Last night I learned that since the beginning of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children began the statics for finding a missing child have gone from 64% to 96%.

I also learned that $.94 of every dollar is spent on finding the missing little ones. $.06 isn't too bad for admin costs.

I am proud to be a supporter.

Dorkette

say-hey, f.o.c.u.s. organization is all for the ncmec. great strides have been accomplished in the search for short term missing chidren. speaking on behalf of the family members of the families with a missing child (the three families on the f.o.c.u.s. board of directors, who have a missing loved one, have over 120 family members) we would just appreciate it if you checked to see how many post offices are displaying the Postal Bulletin Notices as instructed in the NALC/USPS CHILD ALERT PROGRAM? we've talked to post masters, station masters, and other postal employees and they all agree displaying the missing children notices as instructed would be a good idea and would help find missing children. and they all agree posting and active amber alert within 24 hours of the missing child report in the post office would improve the efficiency of the amber alert. all we ask is you manage the federal laws and federal programs created on a national level to help find our missing loved ones, on the level of efficiency they were originally intended, instructed, and funded. and dorkette, statistics can be manipulated to appear positive; but, does not include the over-all picture. we suggest you read the annual report of the ncmec, and check out the expenditures section (money devoted to programs, salaries, education, printing expenses, etc.).

[teramiabullfrog]

Originally Posted by Freshwater

the "TAKE 25 CAMPAIGN" encourages families to take 25 minutes to talk to their children about safety and abduction prevention (www.Take25.org)

they have 25 safety tips to talk about on that web site.

Great another federal national law, program, or campaign to help find and/or prevent missing children. why don't they just fix the federal laws, programs, and campaigns that are already in existence and being annually federal funded - if they were managed and fixed so they function at the level of efficiency they were originally intended, instructed, and funded, a lot of the active missing person cases would be solved and a lot fewer missing person reports would be filed every year.


IMO - Every effort that is made is a good effort. These are not messages that need to be spoken only once for effectiveness. This is a rinse and repeat issue. The more parents are asked to educate children the more kids get educated about staying safe. Now that's a good thing! I'm with Dorkete on this one!

once again, anything the ncmec does is wonderful; however, i talk to the parents of missing children every week and am just expressing their frustration that they are being told about all these wonderful national programs to help find their loved ones and they're not being managed at the level of efficiency they're intended. our mission is to fix the existing programs so the function correctly, it just seems odd they would initiate another national program when the ones they have would accomplish the same purpose if they were managed correctly. of course, the more families are encouraged to talk about child abduction preventionl the better. if you read the original instructions of the "Be Smart-Know the Rules-Campaign" the Congressional Caucus on Missing & Exploited Children stongly advised constant reinforcement of the "Four Child Abduction Prevention Safety Rules". now let's hope the federal elected officials and federal agencies responsible for managing the new "Speak 25 Campaign" carry out the instructions for educating the general public about the 25 safety tips, better than they did with the management of the "Be Smart-Know the Rules-Campaign". again, we're just trying to serve as the spokesperson for the families of the missing and express the concerns that they have vocalized to us.

[Dorkette]

teramiabullfrog,

Your work with the families of missing children is wonderful. Having gone through having a missing child I can appreciate the pain, wonder and frustration the families are going through. I have a friend in NY who also is working with several families whose children have been missing for many years and asked me to speak at the anniversary.

Wanting to use my experiences, I am developing a TV program that focuses on missing children, those that have recently gone missing and those that have been missing for much longer. As one friend said, a milk carton only goes so far. Responses have been positive and if f.o.c.us. or you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them.

If I can do something for f.o.c.u.s., please let me know.

Dorkette

[teramiabullfrog]

Originally Posted by Dorkette

teramiabullfrog,

Your work with the families of missing children is wonderful. Having gone through having a missing child I can appreciate the pain, wonder and frustration the families are going through. I have a friend in NY who also is working with several families whose children have been missing for many years and asked me to speak at the anniversary.

Wanting to use my experiences, I am developing a TV program that focuses on missing children, those that have recently gone missing and those that have been missing for much longer. As one friend said, a milk carton only goes so far. Responses have been positive and if f.o.c.us. or you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them.

If I can do something for f.o.c.u.s., please let me know.

Dorkette

thank you for your reply back. i'm going to present your request to the F.O.C.U.S. Organization's board of directors, regarding your developing a TV program about missing children. hopefully, we'll come up with some ideas or suggestions you might be able to use.

[teramiabullfrog]

Originally Posted by teramiabullfrog

thank you for your reply back. i'm going to present your request to the F.O.C.U.S. Organization's board of directors, regarding your developing a TV program about missing children. hopefully, we'll come up with some ideas or suggestions you might be able to use.

after discussing your request for suggestions about your missing children tv show (for both short and long term missing) here are some of the suggestions the F.O.C.U.S. Organization came up with:
1. show photo id flyers of the missing on a regular basis.
2. interview people about the federal laws and federal programs (pertaining
to missing children issues) and find out why the laws and programs are
not being managed according to original intent, instructions, and federal
funding.
3. interview people who are involved with charities who's mission is to help
find and prevent missing children and show what the charities are doing (their programs and what they are trying to accomplish). also show
their fundraising methods and where the funds go.
4. accumulate written accounts about children who have gone missing and
the problems their families had involving the search (include any
stories about law enforcement and their handling of the case).
5. do a story about the various federal studies that have been done regarding missing children (persons) and the federal laws and federal programs that became national as the result of these federal studies.
6. interview the people involved with the NCMEC and the NCMA (the only
two missing children/persons charities who receive annual federal
funding.
7. show statistics about the number of missing and the catagories of the
missing (how many are non-custodal abductions, how many are run-
aways, how many are stranger abductions, how many are endangered
missing adults who disappeared under suspicious or unusual
circumstances.
8. more suggestions to come.

[Dorkette]

Hello,

I just stumbled upon these postings. Great suggestions and I wish I had more info or something new to report.

A UK magazine just printed an article about Taylor's case and what great timing - this is the 2nd year of her missing and found dead.

Warmly,
Dorkette