International Missing Children's Day, May 25, 2011

International Missing Children's Day May 25, 2011

Early one morning, a little boy by the name of Etan Patz grabbed his school books, donned his Future Flight Captain's Cap and gave his mother a goodbye kiss before leaving to catch the bus to school. The sight of her blonde-haired, blue-eyed son playfully making his way up Prince Street in New York, was to be Julia's last. He was six years old.

Etan's disappearance, still unsolved, is just one of many horrifying stories of children who seemingly vanish without a trace. For the families of these children, the years can go by without any answers and hope begins to fade. That's why the anniversary of Etan's disappearance. May 25, has been named National Missing Children's Day in recognition of all missing children. Throughout Canada and the USA, it is a special day, symbolic of renewed hope and remembrance of those still missing. (story courtesy Childfind BC Website) 

• EMERGENCY INFORMATION: Make sure you fill out an emergency information sheet for each child.  This piece of paper should include the standard contact information for emergencies, but should also include medical information (allergies, medication, etc) and information on favorites foods and places.  More and more families are starting to use a secret code word that can be used for children to verify the identity of adults who are trustworthy versus strangers.  Make sure the local police and fire department have this information at a minimum.  All emergency contacts should also have this information.  Here are links to Child Safety Emergency Contact Forms in Word Format or in Adobe Acrobat PDF form that was  put together by .  Please share, re-share, adapt, and make these child safety forms your own.   

• Child Find British Columbia Child Find BC, offers fingerprinting and ID clinics, & have been able to assist in the   retrieval of many lost children as recently as May 20, 2011  www.childfindbc.com and at their Victoria office is an excellent resource for additional information and support if and when further assistance is needed. Childfind BC also assists with completing  Child Identification kits upon request.

• FINGERPRINTS:Take your kids fingerprints.  This is basic child safety, but essential to child safety.  Keep a copy at home.  Make sure the police have a copy.  This is basic but very important.  You can obtain a basic fingerprinting kit from any RCMP detachment office or at your local Walmart store (we tried our local Walmart superstore, and they did not have them but others might). Check out the RCMP Website for order forms 
  

• RECENT PICTURES: Make sure you and the police department have recent pictures of your children.  This should include a clear, head-on picture as well as a profile picture.   

• Creating a computer file folder: For each family member with essential information about the person, pictures, medical information and any other personal information, that can assist others in helping find a person.

• DNA SWABS:  You may have been aware of the first 4 steps, and we have in the past organized and coordinated child identification clinics, but this one was new to us....  Here is what you need to do. 

1. 1. Find a cotton swab.
   2. Have your child open his or her mouth.
   3. Rub the inside of her cheeck with the cotton swab.
   4. Put the cotton swab in a zip lock bag.
   5. Label the zip lock bag with his or her name and the date.
   6. Put the zip lock bag in the back of the freezer.
   7. Repeat this every two years.
   8. Parents should do this as well.
   9. It's that easy.  In the event something does happen (God forbid), you have a DNA sample that you can quickly hand over to the authorities. 

There is nothing that hurts me more than seeing a child safety Amber Alert on the highway.  Obviously, you need to protect your children and teach them properly in terms of where to go and not to go, who to speak with and who to avoid.  But in the off-chance that something happens, make sure you are prepared! We want to Thank Nikesh Paresh CEO of Active Rain and his recent post about child safety which was the source and inspiration for this post.

This Information was provided to you compliments of Victoria BC Realtors, "Peter and Linda Pfann", Certified Professional Consultant on Aging (CPCA)®. CPCAs are committed to providing exceptional service, and have supplemented their professional training by learning about the unique and changing needs of the 50+ population.

Make sure that the professionals serving you have taken the time and made the commitment to learn more about YOU! To find CPCAs in good standing in your area, go to www.CPCAcanada.com. or www.pfanntastic.com and www.victoriasm.com. To Find additional Victoria, BC, Canada, Senior Focused Resources, please visit "The Elder Friendly Community Network"

To Find out how we serve Greater Victoria Boomers and Seniors and their families with their real estate plans and needs in and around Greater Victoria BC, please call Peter and Linda Pfann in Victoria BC, Canada at (250)-213-9490 or info@pfanntastic.com.