No. 1 missing child recovery program to be honored in Washington, D.C.

America’s largest and most successful missing child recovery program is getting the stamp of approval for its efforts to reunite missing children and their families.

ADVO, Inc.’s America’s Looking For Its Missing Children® program is being honored in Washington, D.C. as part of a new Smithsonian Institution National Postal Museum exhibit, In the Line of Duty: Dangers, Disasters and Good Deeds.

A portion of the exhibit, focusing on the heroic acts of U.S. postal workers, highlights the success of the ADVO, National Center for Missing Children & Exploited Children (NCMEC), and the United States Postal Service partnership that is credited with the safe recoveries of 129 children since May 1985.

Inspired by the 1984 television movie "Adam," about the abduction of John and Revé Walsh’s son, ADVO began developing the program with NCMEC and the U.S. Postal Service. It was formally launched in 1985.

Each week, ADVO distributes nearly 85 million missing child cards nationwide, including targeted areas where NCMEC and law enforcement agencies believe specific children might potentially be located. The well-known cards feature photographs and details of missing child cases––provided by NCMEC––and are distributed via mail to recipients of advertising insert packages. ADVO’s broad reach and targeting capabilities have helped make the program a success.

In addition to exhibit items relating to the history of public service by the U.S. Postal Service, items relating to the missing children program include: a public service announcement to build awareness about the success of using photographs to help locate missing children; the first missing child card; the milestone 100th recovery card; the first Spanish language card and a "Recovery Bear," a teddy bear provided as a welcome home gift to all recovered children.

The overall exhibition highlights the dangers faced regularly by postal workers and honors their individual heroic acts and dedication.

The exhibit featured goggles worn by an early airmail pilot who perished in a plane crash; letters that survived a mail bomb from "Unabomber" Ted Kaczyn-ski and a mail sorting desk used by the letter carrier who served floors 77 through 110 of the World Trade Center’s Tower One, among other items.

The exhibit will be open through October 2004.

For more information regarding the America’s Looking for Its Missing Children® program, visit www.advo.com.

This story was provided by the North American Precis Syndicate.