Take 25 : A Program of The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Take 25 : A Program of The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

NEW NATIONAL CHILD SAFETY CAMPAIGN IS LAUNCHED TO MARK 25TH NATIONAL MISSING CHILDREN'S DAY

Children’s Actions Enable them to Escape in More than 50 Percent of Attempted Abductions

Alexandria, VA - May 1, 2007 - A new national child safety campaign was launched today by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The new campaign, “Take 25,” encourages families to take 25 minutes to talk with their children about safety and abduction prevention. A new website, www.Take25.org, has been established for the campaign that provides twenty-five safety tips and other information for parents, guardians, educators, and the public.

Every year in America an estimated 800,000 children are reported missing, more than 2,000 children each day. Of that number, 200,000 are abducted by family members, and 58,000 are abducted by non-family members, the primary motive for which is sexual. Each year 115 children are the victims of the most serious abductions and are taken by non-family members and either murdered, ransomed or taken with the intent to keep. An analysis of attempted abduction cases by NCMEC found that in 56% of the cases, the child escaped would-be abductors by yelling, kicking, pulling away, running away or attracting attention.

May 25 has been observed as National Missing Children’s Day since it was first proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1983. This year will be the 25th National Missing Children’s Day. The new “Take 25” campaign will help parents and others teach children to be alert to potential threats and provide simple preventive steps that children can take to stay safe.

“We know that teaching children about safety works. It is important that parents and others take the time to talk to their children about these issues. The new campaign is designed to provide information to make it easy for parents and others to teach their children about safety,” said Ernie Allen, President and CEO of NCMEC. “There is no better way to mark the 25th Missing Children’s Day than to launch an initiative designed to empower children and help keep them safe.”

More than 100 local and national organizations and more than 100 US cities throughout the country have partnered with NCMEC on the new safety campaign. It is a major grassroots initiative that will include hundreds of events in communities all across America throughout the month of May. Farmers Insurance is the corporate sponsor for the “Take 25” campaign and has generously underwritten the cost to design and print campaign materials.

“I am extremely proud of the work the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children does and the role Farmers plays in supporting this organization,” said Eric Rizzo, Assistant Vice President of Government Affairs at Farmers. “In working together to promote the Take 25 campaign, the Farmers family hopes to see that children remain where they belong – safe and at home.”

National partners in this initiative include the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, U.S. Conference of Mayors, U. S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. House of Representatives Missing & Exploited Children’s Caucus, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, Fraternal Order of Police, International Association for the Leisure & Entertainment Industry, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces, iVillage, Minor League Baseball, National Association of Black County Officials, National Association of Counties, National Association of Hispanic Firefighters, National Association of School Resource Officers, National Education Association-Health Information Network, National Latino Peace Officers Association, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Parent Teacher Association, U.S. Secret Service, Sports Camp Federation, Team Hope, and Youth Service America.

"You take 25 minutes to watch your favorite television show, you should take 25 minutes to talk to your children about safety," said Regina B. Schofield, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs and national AMBER Alert coordinator. "The Department of Justice is proud to partner with NCMEC and other organizations in support of the Take 25 initiative."

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 475,000 leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 130,300 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 112,900 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.

About Farmers Insurance
Farmers Insurance Group of Companies(R) is the nation's fourth-largest Personal Lines Property & Casualty insurance group. Headquartered in Los Angeles and doing business in 41 states, insurers comprising the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies provide Homeowners, Auto, Business, Life insurance and financial services more than 15 million households through 48,000 exclusive and independent agents and district managers. Through support of the March of Dimes, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, award-winning educational programs provided free to schools as well as other safety, civic and arts organizations, Farmers is committed to making a difference in the communities where its agents, employees and customers live and work. For more information about Farmers, visit www.farmers.com

CONTACT:
NCMEC Communications Department
(703) 837-6111
media@ncmec.org