Washington D.C. – To date, 23 state governors have proclaimed Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013, as SmileSafe Kids Day to help educate the public about this important resource that aids law enforcement in the recovery of missing children. The SmileSafe Kids program was created 10 years ago through a joint effort between the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and ESCA member, Lifetouch School Photography, a 100% employee-owned company, to provide a current portrait to law enforcement if a child is missing. Since its inception, SmileSafe Kids photo ID cards have aided the safe return of children in 23 states.
Each card carries a current portrait of the child along with the phone number for the National Center and unique access codes for portrait retrieval. When the Center receives a call, it contacts the Lifetouch Rapid Response team that in turn forwards a current photograph to law enforcement, 24/7.
During the last decade, approximately 300 million SmileSafe Kids photo ID cards have been provided nationwide. These cards are given free of charge to families with children in schools where Lifetouch offers photography services, regardless of a portrait purchase.
States declaring Oct. 22, 2013, as SmileSafe Kids Day include: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin. More information about the SmileSafe Kids photo ID card program is available on Youtube.
The nearly 15,000 employee-owners of Lifetouch are honored to support the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children through the SmileSafe Kids program and serve families throughout the United States.
“Being 100% employee-owned builds a company and a culture that fosters not only teamwork and productivity but also shared responsibility. That sense of being in this together naturally reaches outside of Lifetouch to the families and communities we serve, ” said Kelvin Miller, Corporate Vice President of Lifetouch. “The SmileSafe Kids program is one outstanding example of such a natural giveback.”
“Lifetouch is one of our many employee-owned companies that is making a difference not only in their employees financial future but their communities,” added Stephanie Silverman, President and Executive Director of ESCA. “We are proud of what our members create across the United States everyday.”
Celebrating nearly 80 years of smiles, Lifetouch is best known for the tradition of school pictures, but also photographs graduating seniors, sports, and events and produces school yearbooks and memory books. Lifetouch operates retail studios across the country and provides portraiture and pictorial directory services for houses of worship.
Learn more about Lifetouch