Missing Children
News Releases
Calgary, AB – Feb 7th 2013 – Today the Missing Children Society of Canada (“MCSC”) is proud to announce the Alberta Electrical League (AEL) has joined CodeSearch as an association partner. CodeSearch is Corporate volunteer engagement at its most effective, combining technology and a unique partnership between non-profit, corporate partners and law enforcement to unite corporate resources in one cause - finding missing children.
As a CodeSearch Association Partner, AEL is helping to educate the electrical industry in the province of Alberta on the CodeSearch program. As a leading voice in their industry, AEL is educating other organizations on how their companies can participate in this unique employee engagement and philanthropic program. With over 150 member organizations, including current CodeSearch partner ENMAX, the AEL has the ability to help ensure that hundreds of thousands of eyes will be on the lookout if a child goes missing in Alberta.
“The Alberta Electrical Industry has the opportunity to set a precedent in this country by embracing this ground-breaking program,” said Tara Ternes, Executive Director of the Alberta Electrical League. “I challenge all of our members to consider joining CodeSearch.”
“We are excited to have AEL join us as an association partner for the CodeSearch program” said Amanda Pick, Executive Director of the Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC). “The involvement of industry associations such as AEL helps expand the program provincially and nationally and will truly make a difference to our searching families.”
Developed by Strut Communications, CodeSearch combines a Content Management System with a geo-targeted smartphone application to allow instant communication between MCSC and CodeSearch field agents. Partner organization employees can register field agent profiles with their relevant skills. In the event a child goes missing, MCSC can send out geo-targeted alerts to any field agents in the area where a child went missing or is expected to be located so they can be active eyes and ears on the ground.
For more information on AEL’s partnership with MCSC please visit: http://albertaelectricalleague.com/missing-children-society/ or http://www.mcsc.ca/code_search-partners
If you are interested in becoming a CodeSearch partner, please contact MCSC at 1-800-661-6160. For more information on the program, visit www.mcsc.ca/code_search.
Calgary, AB – November 19, 2012 - The Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC), the only national organization that actively participates in the search for missing children, today announced the launch of the groundbreaking CodeSearch Program. CodeSearch combines technology with philanthropy to deliver unique partnerships between MCSC, corporate partners and law enforcement nationwide. CodeSearch gives MCSC the power to engage corporate resources and workforces to assist law enforcement in a timely manner when a child goes missing.
MCSC’s CodeSearch partners wanted to contribute more than finances in a way that would resonate with their employees and improve the communities they serve. CodeSearch allows organizations to make a difference using the tools they already possess: human capital and physical resources. CodeSearch engages corporate partners’ employees as field agents who can be eyes and ears on the ground when a child goes missing in their local area. If law enforcement requires additional support in the search, CodeSearch partners have committed to providing resources such as ATVs, helicopters and scuba equipment.
“We know that Corporations want to give back to their communities in meaningful ways and this program allows them to use the expertise they already possess to make their communities safer,” explains Amanda Pick, Executive Director of the Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC). “By providing law enforcement with effective tools and a connected network in the search for missing children, I know we can significantly change the landscape of missing children in our country.”
The Calgary Police Service is pleased to be partnering with MCSC in their efforts to find new and innovative ways to more quickly locate missing children and reunite them with their families. Strategic use of existing and emerging technologies and effective community partnerships are invaluable when it comes to keeping all our children safe.
“Not everyone watches the 6 o’clock news. Having access to members of the community through non-traditional means of communication can only help in the search to locate missing children,” said Calgary Police Chief Rick Hanson. “The more eyes we have on the lookout, the greater the chances we can quickly locate a missing child and safely reunite them with their family.”
CodeSearch is powered by the RallyEngine™ emergency response and crisis communications platform, developed and donated by MCSC partner Strut Creative. CodeSearch allows corporate employees to register field agent profiles with their skills and corporations to register available resources. In the event a child goes missing, MCSC can mobilize communities via geo-targeted alerts to any field agents in the area where a child went missing or is expected to be located. These targeted communications deliver critical, time-sensitive information to all personnel in the immediate area. CodeSearch personnel are already in the field, working in their communities, and now they will be part of a connected community helping to keep children safe.
On August 2nd, 1993, Lindsey Nicholls disappeared from Courtenay, British Columbia. Her mother, Judy Peterson, has seen the continuing progress MCSC has made through their existing programs. “When Lindsey vanished nearly two decades ago, I went all over town with my own posters and a roll of scotch tape,” said Mrs. Peterson. “I believe that if this type of technology had existed, we may have been able to find her. It’s incredible that information about a missing child can be distributed instantly and directly into the hands of a network of Canadians. The ‘not knowing’ has been so difficult, but I am hopeful that CodeSearch will help other families find answers.”
Currently, MCSC has four founding corporate partners: Apache, WestJet, Tervita, and Enmax. Each partner brings unique resources and expertise to the program and is committed to rolling out the program over the next few months. The technology has been fully tested and is in the early stages of being implemented to the specific requirements of each partner.
The Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC) has committed to being an Association partner and advocating for their member organizations to adopt the CodeSearch program as one of their corporate social responsibility commitments.
If you are interested in becoming a CodeSearch partner, please contact MCSC at 1-800-661-6160. For more information on the program, visit www.mcsc.ca/code_search.
- 30 -
About MCSC
Since 1986, MCSC has been reuniting missing children with their searching families through professional investigations, public awareness and family support programs. MCSC is the only non-profit organization in North America that employs an in-house team of former police detectives to work closely with law enforcement while conducting frontline, hands-on investigative and search activities.
MCSC seeks key information in search for Lucas Degerness
PRINCE GEORGE, BC – The Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC) and the Prince George RCMP held a press conference on Thursday, June 7, 2012 regarding the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Prince George teen Lucas Degerness. Lucas went missing five years ago on June 7, 2007. On the anniversary of Lucas’ disappearance, MCSC called out for that key piece of information needed to resolve this case.
“We want to let people know that they can contact MCSC as well as the RCMP on this case,” said Ted Davis, Investigator with MCSC. “Should you wish to contact MCSC, you can choose to remain absolutely confidential and anonymous. Together with the RCMP, our only focus is to resolve this case, and bring some answers for Lucas and his family.”
If anyone has information regarding the disappearance of Lucas Degerness, please contact MCSC confidentially and anonymously at 1-800-661-6160 toll free or tips@mcsc.ca.
UPDATE:
Please view the video below from Global BC for coverage of our media event and details about Lucas' case.
MCSC’s technologies to enable more Canadians to help find missing children
Toronto, ON - Whether a child has been missing for 15 minutes or 15 years, communicating time-sensitive information in a case’s breakthrough moment is critical in bringing that child back to safety. While the search for a missing child once involved a face on a milk carton, new media technologies are bringing immediacy, social relevance and real-time community participation to the search for a missing child.
“We now have incredible technological tools at our disposal that have not typically been optimized in the search for a missing child,” explains Amanda Pick, Executive Director of the Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC).
“We believe everyday citizens are concerned about the well-being of a missing child, but it’s important to meet these people where they live their lives – online, on-the-go and on their phones.”
Over the past two years, MCSC has made a significant shift toward embracing technology to support their ongoing, hands-on investigations. On May 25th – International Missing Children’s Day - the organization unveiled the following advances in the search for missing children:
-
1. MCSC signs on as official AMBER Alert broadcaster in Ontario via Poynt platform
MCSC and the Ontario Provincial Police today announced their partnership which will officially register MCSC as a broadcaster with the Ontario AMBER Alert program. MCSC has been signed as an official AMBER Alert broadcaster in Ontario through their Poynt platform push notification system, a technology which was first announced one year ago today on International Missing Children’s Day 2011.
As a major corporate partner with MCSC, Poynt integrated a first-of-its-kind geo-targeted push notification system into their Poynt platform. Through the push notification system, MCSC can target Child Search Alerts directly to Poynt’s millions of users worldwide, with the ability to target entire cities or as precise as 1 kilometer. Child Search Alerts direct Poynt users to MCSC’s mobile website where they can view information about the missing child including pictures, a physical description, background details, information about other potential people who are with the child, as well as the areas where the child is thought to be located.
Since officially launching the technology in September 2011, MCSC has utilized the push notification system on 5 occasions – emergency situations as well as long-term breaking cases - pinpointing information to over 150,000 Canadians within those targeted geographic regions.
MCSC is in the process of connecting with other provinces across the country to offer the same AMBER Alert broadcasting service to those regions.
2. MCSC taps into the Power of Community to create an Online Search Party
MCSC also announced the launch for an innovative online tool – The World’s Most Valuable Social Network – to allow anyone with a social network to “donate” their Facebook or Twitter feed to notify friends and followers when a child goes missing in their area. Users can choose to link their social networks for a day, a month or indefinitely and can modify their settings at any time.
When an active missing child investigation takes place in the user’s area, MCSC will push a message directly to the user’s social feed. Rather than relying on MCSC followers sharing information, this cutting-edge innovation created by MCSC's ad agency, GREY Canada, ensures timely and accurate information is being broadcast directly to the World’s Most Valuable Social Network’s users’ friends and followers. As this system will be reserved for only the most critical situations, on average users can expect only a few alerts in their region each year.
“Social networks connect us to thousands of people, ideas and events each day. We want to turn this power in numbers into a collective set of eyes that can help us find a missing child,” said Pick. “We hope to see Canadians get behind us on May 25th and take a simple step that can ultimately save lives.”
Since 1986, MCSC has been reuniting missing children with their searching families through professional investigations, public awareness and family support programs. MCSC is the only non-profit organization in North America that employs an in-house team of former police detectives to work closely with law enforcement while conducting frontline, hands-on investigative and search activities.
MCSC calls for community support to help locate the missing boys
TORONTO - The Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC) is assisting the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in England in investigating the disappearance of two young children. Khalid and Ahmed Abubakar, now aged 6 and 5 years old, were known to have travelled on April 9, 2010, by coach from London to Amsterdam with their mother, Anisa Mohamed Ibrahim. The boys’ father, Abdul Abubakar, has been desperately searching for them ever since.
It is known that Anisa took the boys from Amsterdam to Frankfurt, Germany, where they boarded a plane to Toronto arriving on April 13, 2010. Anisa and the children’s exact whereabouts are not known, however, it is believed they may be in the Toronto area and may be connecting with the Somali community in that region.
To view the PDF of our CHILD SEARCH ALERT press release, please click here.
Craig Conroy lights the way for missing children
..................
(Download a PDF of our media advisory.)
..................
Where: Flames Central (219 - 8 Avenue SW)
When: Tuesday, March 27, 2012
VIP Reception Boxes: 4 – 6pm
• Poynt Corp
• Burnet Duckworth & Palmer LLP
• Stepper Homes
Cocktail Reception: 5pm
Dinner & Program: 6pm
• Craig Conroy will be taking time to hang out with the guests at each of the sponsor’s personalized and decked out VIP rooms. Media are welcome to visit the VIP Receptions and the Cocktail Reception to take in the action.
What:
• This year's Gala event has been completely re-imagined with thanks to the creative and generous support from venue sponsor Flames Central and presenting sponsor Poynt
• MCSC has embraced new technologies and unique partnerships over the past 2 years, which has brought many creative and talented leaders from across Canada to the table
• The 2012 Candlelight Gala represents the creativity, energy and dedication that goes into MCSC's unique work of investigating missing children cases and supporting searching families
Who will be there?
• Craig Conroy, Calgary Flames alumni, will be our host
• Rob Kerr, Flames play-by-play voice on Sportsnet will be our emcee
• John Dooks, President of the Calgary Police Association, MCSC board member
• Other notable guests in attendance will include Jesse Lumsdun (Canadian Olympic Bobsled team and former Stampeder ), Jason Day (former UFC Fighter)
Media Contact:
Becky Scheer, Communications Manager
Cell: 403.650.5667
Email: bscheer@mcsc.ca
CALGARY – The search for missing children is heating up, thanks to Calgary Flames alumni Craig Conroy throwing his support behind the Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC). The Flames’ Special Assistant to the General Manager has signed on as a board member of the locally-based organization, and he has already scored some big points.
“We are excited to have Craig on our team,” said Amanda Pick, Executive Director of MCSC. “As a dedicated family man, and someone who knows the value of a strong team, Craig brings so much passion to our board, our organization and our search for missing children.”
Joining the MCSC board in summer 2011, Craig kicked off his support by headlining the inaugural Street Hockey Home Game, a private street hockey event which was held on July 9th. Craig spent an afternoon playing street hockey in Calgary with a great crowd of kids and neighbourhood friends. The game had been offered as a silent auction item at last year’s MCSC annual Candlelight Gala, and the opportunity will be offered again at this year’s gala event on March 27th.
Thanks to the generous support of the creative minds at Joe Media, the Street Hockey Home Game event was also an opportunity to film a series of PSAs with Craig. The PSAs feature MCSC’s I STOP movement which aims to engage Canadians in taking a personal action to end child abduction. Craig’s I STOP video, which also showcases the fun Street Hockey Home Game event, can be viewed below:
Craig’s support really heats up in March, with two different Conroy-focused events supporting MCSC. The first event is the Craig Conroy Roast on March 7th organized by the Calgary Flames’ Ambassadors. Proceeds of that event will support the Calgary Flames Foundation for Life and MCSC.
Then later that month, Craig and his family will host MCSC’s Candlelight Gala on March 27th at Flames Central, with SportsNet’s Rob Kerr as emcee.
Details on MCSC’s gala are available at www.mcsc.ca/candlelight-gala.
Search prompted after tip received following joint press conference with MCSC in September
Comox Valley RCMP - On December 6th and 7th members of the Comox Valley Detachment, with the assistance of a Forensic Identification Specialist from E Division Headquarters conducted a search of a rural property in Royston, B.C.
The search was prompted by a tip from the public that was received after the September 2011 press conferenceheld in regards to the 1993 disappearance of 14 year old Lindsey NICHOLLS.
Unfortunately the search ended without identifying further information. However we are grateful to the community for their continued support in the search for Lindsey. Every piece of information that comes forward is critical in the ongoing investigation - even if it helps eliminate an area of investigation. We commend the Comox Valley RCMP for their dedication to this case. And we continue to stand by Lindsey's family in this difficult journey.
To read the RCMP's offical press release, click here.
MCSC commends partner efforts as new chapter begins for family
Please read the PDF of our Child Search Alert: Sigourney Chisholm - Child Search Alert
Missing Since:
Sep, 05 1998
Date of Birth:
Mar, 25 1979
Missing From:
Revelstoke, British Columbia