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OPIA supports the NCMEC: Dear Supporter of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: Please take a moment from your busy day to read the true stories of two mothers and their children that Id like to share with you. They dramatize how NCMEC can help, and why your assistance is so important. The first story happened more than twenty years ago. When Tracy (not her real name) gave birth to a beautiful baby daughter, she had no idea of the ordeal she was to endure later. Her marriage had problems, but she felt sure that they could be worked out. After all, her husband was a respected professional in the community. One late summer afternoon, she returned home from work to find the house empty. The babysitter and the baby - now a year old - were gone. The crib was empty. Baby clothes were missing. Frantically, she called her husband. He and the baby were nowhere to be found. She called her friends, family, the police. Nothing. Finally, she found the babysitter, who told her that her husband had arrived earlier that afternoon and told her to leave. Tracy suspected the worst, but didnt know what to do. She felt completely alone. She made more telephone calls. Her husbands parents were evasive, and she realized that he had disappeared with the baby. She had nowhere to turn, no one to help, no one to tell her what to do. She felt as if a part of her had died. Her husband had abducted her daughter. They could not - or would not - be found. Twenty years later, the daughter, now a young woman and curious about her mother, found Tracy. They spent the afternoon together. But theres no happy ending to this story. The daughter, her curiosity satisfied, disappeared once more. Tracy doesnt think that she will ever see her again. As I write this, the second story, which began only a few months ago, still isnt over. But Im far more optimistic about a happy ending. Denise also had a troubled marriage. But when she and her husband had a baby boy, they both felt it was a sign of good things to come. It was not to be. The father became abusive. When Denise called the police, the situation only got worse. Finally, in desperation, Denise got a court order to keep her husband away from the family. He stalked Denise, and she felt at risk for herself, the baby, and the other children in the family. But she got real help and practical advice from local law enforcement officers. And she got information from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children about what to do to help protect her son from being abducted by his father. She felt as if she were not alone. She learned about the possibilities of what she could - and should - do. It was as if she had regained some control over a difficult situation. We dont know what will happen to Denise and her family. Yet now she has the comfort of knowing that the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children will be there for her. And after hearing both stories, I know, more than ever, that NCMEC is making a real difference in peoples lives in at least two important ways. First, we help find many of the 2,200 children who are reported missing every day, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Crime Information Center. In fact, weve helped find more than 47,000 of these children during the past 15 years. And in addition, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children helps prevent these disappearances. We have trained more than 155,000 police and other law-enforcement officers. We have published more than 18 million publications, distributed free of charge to people like Denise. And we have other programs that can help stop abductions before they happen. Frankly, we must have help from people like yourself, concerned about children at risk, to continue these programs. Please consider mailing a check of $25, $50, $100, or more if you possibly can, to: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) Fulfillment Center, Department 240 747 Third Avenue, 16th Floor New York, New York, 10017 You can also reach us by telephone (1-800-766-1616) or E-mail (eja@idt.net) to donate. And, if youd like to learn more about NCMECs recovery, prevention and education programs, please visit our web site at www.missingkids.com. Thank you for letting me share these two stories with you. For me, they illustrate the difference the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is making every day, for thousands of families. With your support, we will have more stories that end happily. Please help us help these children and their families. They need our help. And we need yours. Ernie Allen President, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children P.S. Please contribute with confidence. NCMEC is one of the few not-for-profit organizations receiving an A+ rating from the National Institute of Philanthropies. And, your name and address will be held in strict confidence. |