final posting, perhaps

[teramiabullfrog]

Finding Our Children Under Stress Org. (F.O.C.U.S.), a charity made up of family members of a missing person, completed the first phase of their thirteenth annual missing child flyer posting and distribution MAC SHACK Program. Two FOCUS Org. volunteers traveled 2,888 miles over a 24 day road trip. Just over 3,000 missing person flyers (representing 200 missing persons) were posted for display. "3-Ring" display binders were displayed in Post Office lobbies in every town they traveled through on this phase of their annual 3 state missing child flyer display program. 68 Post Offices were included on this part of the program, eventually over 2,000 Post Offices in 7 western states will be included. This service, as part of our mission, is available to any family with a reported missing person (just contact us and ask for our help).

This first phase, of the annual road trip MAC SHACK Program* (mobile awareness center to help find and prevent missing children), started in Santa Cruz, CA, following highway 1 north through san francisco, to Jenner, Ca. Then traveling along the Russian River east to highway 101, continuing north on 101 along the Oregon coast, to Port Angeles, WA (at the north end of the Olympic Peninsula). Then traveling east to Tacoma, WA. Several trips were made from 101 in OR and WA, onto eastbound highways, for up to 80 miles including stops at Post Offices in other towns.

Fifty-two new missing person flyers were added to our missing person binder display book. Including Shannon L. Fischer (a relative of a FG member), Richard "Cody" Haynes (his flyer was found posted on a window in the Hoh Nation Tribal Center - copies were made and included in the binder, as well as posted on "community bulletin boards", laundromat bulletin boards, and other community display areas), and fifty new "Postal Bulletin" notices were found in the display binders we left along this route in 2006. Unfortunately, only five of the 68 Post Offices maintained a "Postal Bulletin" notices display, as instructed in the annual federal funded "Child Alert Program".

Furthermore, we discovered on "Postal Bulletin 22192 (10-26-06) a change in the wording of the "Missing Children Poster Display Instructions", printed on the back of each monthly "Postal Bulletin" (since 1985). The new wording weakens the effectiveness of this national, federal funded program (Child Alert Program), which is already under-utilized and not managed at the level of efficiency it was originally intended and instructed.

We strongly urge as many people as possible get involved by contacting your local politicians and demand the Child Alert Program be fixed so it's managed at the level of efficiency it's intended. If it was Shawn Hornbeck would probably have been found within the first few months of his abduction, Dillon Groene would probably still be alive, and if the Child Alert Program starts operating at level of efficiency it's intended the Amber Alert would become even more efficient and effective.





* MAC SHACK PROGRAM: Developed and refined over the past twelve years (94),

is named and is in honor of Malcolm ("Mac" - silent key

W6NBD{no big deal}) Grant Parks. He coordinated the

creation and development of the Alaskan Catastrophic

Disaster Emergency Signal Net System (the model for

Amateur Radio Civilian Defense response in an area

struck by a catastrophic disaster).

[Marie5656]

I know that Blockbuster used to have a program where they videotaped your child, as well as included vital stats about the child...for use if the child went missing. Do they, or any other agency still do that?

[teramiabullfrog]

Marie5656;542556 wrote: I know that Blockbuster used to have a program where they videotaped your child, as well as included vital stats about the child...for use if the child went missing. Do they, or any other agency still do that?


not that i know of; however, they still may and others might have some program as well. walmart used to maintain a missing children flyer display; but, didn't see one at the last walmart i checked on.