Help us “Light the Way Home” for Missing Children

On May 25th, 1979, six-year-old Etan Patz kissed his mother goodbye and started off to catch the school bus waiting just two blocks from his New York City home. It was the first time Etan had ever been allowed to walk to the bus stop alone. His mother, Julia, stood and watched as her son playfully made his way down the first block. In those few moments it would have taken Etan Patz to walk the remaining block, he disappeared.

There are thousands of horrifying stories just like Etan’s all across North America, stories of children who seemingly vanish without a trace. For the families of these children, the years can go by without any answers, and pain and emptiness remains a constant companion. Hope may begin to fade.

In commemoration of all missing children, the anniversary of Etan’s disappearance was designated as National Missing Children’s Day across North America.

In Canada, the Missing Children Society of Canada coordinates our national “Light the Way Home” campaign each May leading up to National Missing Children’s Day on May 25^th. Now in its 16^th year, our Light the Way Home campaign aims to reach out to all Canadians from coast to coast with our message of how they can help us light the way home for our missing children. We rely on the community’s support to help us continue the search for missing children.

This May, we ask you to lend your support in a variety of ways:

1. Show your support for our searching families by sending a personal “Message of Hope”. Your heartfelt and touching messages are collected and shared with our searching families as a show of your support in their continued search. The response we get from these messages is always overwhelmingly emotional. Visit us online at www.mcsc.ca to submit your message.

2. Light a candle at 8:00pm on the evening of May 25^th in remembrance and in hope of all missing children. This simple act is a touching way for you and your family to make a personal connection with the hope and commitment we share with searching families everywhere.

3. View our online directory of Missing Children and help us continue the search by making an online donation at www.mcsc.ca.

Over 50,000 children are reported missing in Canada every year. That’s an average of 1 child every 10 minutes. Together, we can help Light their Way Home.