Brigestone/Firestone Retail & Commercial Operations LLC (BFRC) and its more than 2,000 company-owned stores nationwide are helping raise awareness and assisting in the recovery of missing children.
BFRC, the United States Postal Service, ADVO and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) have formed a joint partnership to expand the popular "Have You Seen Me?" postcards, produced by ADVO and distributed to 85 million households nationwide each week through NCMEC's Project Find-A-Child.
Starting this month, new "Have You Seen Me?" displays -- 8-1/2-inch by 11-inch flyers featuring photos of at least six missing children -- will be set up in Firestone Complete Auto Care and ExpertTire stores across the country. Bridgestone/Firestone's TiresPlus stores will follow suit.
"With the millions of customers that walk through our doors each year, it is a great way for our company to support NCMEC's efforts," says Larry Magee, chairman, CEO and president of BFRC. "Our teammates not only make customer safety a top priority, but also the general safety of the community."
In both 2004 and 2005, BFRC has been the exclusive sponsor of ADVO's age-progression effort, which subsidizes costs associated with photo preparation, forensic artists and other technology used to create the age-progressed photos for the "Have You Seen Me?" cards.
"BFRC's commitment to expanding the impact and reach of this program is a powerful example of corporate citizenship that will bring even more children safely home to their families," says Scott Harding, CEO of ADVO, the largest direct mail media company in the U.S.
"Somebody knows where each and every missing child is," says Ernie Allen, CEO and president of NCMEC. "Photo programs like the BFRC displays are helping us to reach out to the public."
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 313,000 leads.
Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 106,000 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 92,000 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.
