Posted by Dawn Papandrea-Khan on October 2, 2009 · 3 Comments
This past week, I was watching America’s Most Wanted on TV. I have always loved John Walsh, the host of the show because through his television program he has helped take down over 1,050 dangerous fugitives and bring home more than 50 missing children in the past 22 years. In 1981 John and his wife Eve’s 6 year old son Adam was abducted and murdered. And since that day, John has dedicated his life to fighting on behalf of both children and adult victims of violent crimes.
On yesterday’s show, they were talking about a particular young girl named Michaela Joy Garecht who was abducted back in 1988. They told the story about her mother’s struggle through the pain of losing her only child. But through the horrible situation, she wound up turning it into something good by becoming a speaker and advocate for child safety. Her name is Sharon Nemeth Murch and she wrote a book called “Listen to Your Smart 
Voice” which is available on Amazon for $9.95.
This 40 page book is a child safety program that empowers children by teaching them to use the very best weapon of all — their own intelligence. In this book, children learn what a Stranger is, and how to react to one. In In life, a child will encounter many situations which will help train their Smart Voice, and gain real-world skills. But the truth is, every new child that goes missing shows us yet another new way predators have found to entrap our children. We need to do what we can to protect them! And in order to do that, it is our responsibility as parents to protect them by teaching them to be aware, and to be smart in all circumstances.
Being a mother of almost 4 little ones, this subject touches my heart tremendously. I decided to look into it a bit more and I came up with a few sites that you might want to check out.
http://www.kindervision.org/– “Created in 1991 as a result of the kidnapping and murder of seven year old Leticia Hernandez in Southern California, KinderVision® is a national child safety education program dedicated to the protection of children from abduction and sexual exploitation. Developed with the assistance of law enforcement and research including an interview with a convicted child killer, the KinderVision educational materials are designed to be an ongoing resource for families, for schools, for law enforcement, and for all youth-serving organizations to teach children and youth how to be safe from sexual predators – because The Greatest Save is the one we never have to make. The program is available in English and Spanish and is funded solely through corporate sponsorships and contributions with the materials provided FREE to families whenever possible on site, on air, and on line.” Be sure to check out their Free Downoadable Lesson Kits for Preschool & Kindergarten Age Children. It is important to teaching our children early about how to keep themselves safe.
http://www.radkids.org/ – radKIDS® is the national leader in children’s safety, with headquarters based in South Dennis, Massachussetts. radKIDS® is brought to children and parents by the training and development of nationally certified instructors drawn from their own communities. By empowering a community with certified local instructors, the radKIDS® Personal Empowerment Safety Education package is not just a program but a true gift to the community. Community-based organizations receive training and support from national headquarters to provide the radKIDS® program as a part of their own youth work. These groups, which have safety goals compatible with those of radKIDS®, include police departments, educational organizations, civic groups, fraternal organizations, citizens’ groups and concerned parents.
http://www.mypreciouskid.com/ – My Precious Kid Child Safety Products Manufacturer of Oregon is founded on Christian values of truth, honesty, integrity, human worth, and the value of all children. My Precious Kid is dedicated to family success and family safety. My Precious Kid Child Safety Products and Baby Gear protect your children and give you peace of mind. They have products for your baby, children, adults, pets, the elderly, and children with special needs. I have actually done a review on this awesome company several months ago. Check it out here.
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I just cannot imagine the horrific pain of losing a child to kidnapping, abduction, or murder. My eyes have been truly opened to the need for us as parents to teach our children the importance of staying safe early on. I am so grateful for the many parents who have been through this type of tragedy who have dedicated themselves to helping other parents.
So, if you are a blogger, I would ask you to join me and write a post so we can all join forces and get the word out about the dangers of child abduction. And take the time to check out the many resources that are available to help us in this child safety education process.
Thanks so much, DAWN
great article. definitely so important to raise awareness about this
A great, inexpensive way to be prepared for a missing child emergency is with InstantAmber. You fill out info about your kids and upload pictures in a private profile online. If they go missing, you can give law enforcement your passcode and they have all the info for an amber alert and to start searching immediately. I pray that I will never have to use it but it’s so comforting knowing that it’s there in case of an emergency. I highly recommend it for any parent.