Why get involved?

The most heart-breaking crimes involve victims who are children. Children who are stolen from their home tear at the core of a family. We all need to step up and do the right thing whenever we see harm or the potential for harm being done to a child. While direct intervention is dangerous, it is important to make notes of exactly what we witnessed.

When a child is recovered, such as Jaycee Dugard, (and even after 18 years!) we celebrate a small victory over the forces of evil. We need to do more, be more vigilant and help parents whose lives have been put on hold.

Oprah's Website Article on the Recovery of Jaycee Dugard

Excerpt from the article: "...If there's one lesson everyone should take away from their story, Lisa says it's to listen to your inner voice. "I think we're one of the only species that ignores the instinct that we have," she says. "Don't be afraid to question. You can always apologize if you're wrong. Take that extra step."

Lisa also encourages everyday citizens to help make policing a community effort. "We need the eyes and ears of the community to get the information to the police," she says. "The police are the resource that enforces the law, and we take the next step, but [there] was the day when the nosy neighbor really had a role."

To help find more children like Jaycee, Lisa says people should take a moment out of their busy lives to get to know their neighbors, be aware of their surroundings and pay attention to things that are out of the ordinary in their communities.

Take Action

Don't hesitate to report people and children that, for some reason, seem out of your feeling of what is normal. Keep your senses on alert in public places where people are traveling, such as rest stops along the highway. Your eyes and "inner voice" can make a difference.

From America's Most Wanted, here is the link to missing Children: http://www.amw.com/missing_children

The mission of The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is to help prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation; help find missing children; and assist victims of child abduction and sexual exploitation, their families, and the professionals who serve them.

If you have seen a child who matches the face of a missing child (being shown above), please report any information regarding that child to the (NCMEC) Call Center. Operators are available 24-hours a day to receive "sightings" by telephone or via the Internet. The toll-free Hotline is 1-800-THE-LOST® (1-800-843-5678) 24-hours a day. Consider adding this 800 number to your cell phone directory.

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