The Salvation Army Northwest Community Center,

Northwest Community Consortium, Inc and

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children®

Host Community Safety Fair to Commemorate National Missing Children’s Day

The Community Safety Fair Promotes Take 25 Prevention Campaign

West Palm Beach, FL (9 May 2011) – The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC), The Salvation Army and other community organizations will observe National Children’s Day on May 14^th by promoting prevention education through a Take 25 event at The Salvation Army Northwest Community Center.

Take 25 is a national child safety campaign that encourages parents and guardians to take time to talk to their children about ways to stay safe. Created by NCMEC, Take 25 promotes an ongoing dialogue between children, families, and communities about child safety.

“We are excited to partner with local community organizations,” said NCMEC President and CEO Ernie Allen. “We look forward to working with these groups to raise awareness about the Take 25 campaign by providing parents and guardians with the vital prevention tools and information they need to talk with their children about ways to stay safer.”

Child ID kits will be available to all that attend the event as well as important safety presentations by the West Palm Beach Fire and Police Departments. The event will kick off at 10am and will run through 2 pm at 600 North Rosemary Avenue.  A FREE lunch is being provided by the Florida Public Utilities.

First proclaimed National Missing Children’s Day by former President Ronald Regan in 1983, May 25^th serves as an annual reminder to the nation to renew efforts to reunite missing children with their families, remember those who are still missing and make child protection a national priority.

“National Missing Children’s Day calls attention to the estimated 2,200 children reported missing every day in this country,” said Allen. “Although the vast majority of these children are found quickly, we must keep hope alive for the many who are still missing and use this opportunity to educate families about how to keep their children safer from abduction and sexual exploitation.”

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One in nearly six missing children is recovered as a direct result of someone recognizing that child’s photograph in NCMEC’s photo-distribution program and contacting authorities. This is why it is so important that everyone pay close attention to posters and photographs of missing children. In addition, NCMEC encourages parents and guardians to practice good safety measures by following the important safety tips noted below:

• Keep an accessible, up-to-date, good–quality photograph of your child in case of an emergency.
• Never let young children go places alone. Be clear about the places and homes they may visit.
• Know where your children are and whom they are with at all times.
• Never leave children unattended in a vehicle, whether it’s running or not.
• Talk openly to your children about safety. Make an outing to a mall or park a “teachable” moment.

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About The Salvation Army of Palm Beach County

The Salvation Army of Palm Beach County, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in 1922, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for 89 years. Over 19,000 Palm Beach County residents receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar spent is used to support those services in our local communities. For more information, go to .

About The National Center For Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC)

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization. Since it was established by Congress in 1984, the organization has operated the tool-free 24-hour national missing children’s hotline which has handled more than 2.3 million calls. It has assisted law enforcement in the recovery of more than 132,314 children. The organization’s CyberTipline has handled more than 638,000 reports of child sexual exploitations and its Child Victim Identification Program has reviewed and analyzed more than 18,650,000 child pornography images and videos. The organization works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice’s office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. To learn more about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its website at .