Business News
CANON U.S.A., THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED CHILDREN AND THE NEW YORK YANKEES ONCE AGAIN JOIN FORCES TO HELP PROTECT KIDS
Thursday 22. May 2008 - Canon Promotional Day at Yankee Stadium Focuses on What Families Can Do To Keep Children Safe and the Use of Digital Photos to Help Locate Missing Children
Canon U.S.A., Inc., The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the New York Yankees are once again combining efforts to help raise greater awareness of issues related to locating missing children at Canon’s fifth annual promotional night at Yankee Stadium, when the Yankees take on the Baltimore Orioles.
During pre-game ceremonies, Ted Nakamura, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A., will present John Walsh, co-founder of NCMEC and host of the television series “America’s Most Wanted,” with a check for $760,000, representing the amount of money raised and invested by Canon U.S.A. on behalf of NCMEC.
“Canon’s commitment to building a better world for future generations is echoed in our corporate philosophy, Kyosei – all people, regardless of race, religion, or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future – and we can find no cause more worthy than the protection of our most precious resource, our children,” said Joe Adachi, president and chief executive officer, Canon U.S.A.. “For the fifth year now, Canon has worked with NCMEC and the New York Yankees to bring into focus the many ways digital cameras, printers and photos can play a key role in helping to locate missing children. To date, Canon’s support of NCMEC has contributed to the recovery of 167 missing children.”
Since 1998, Canon U.S.A. and NCMEC have collaborated to educate the public about the growing issue of child abduction. The Canon4Kids program, a partnership between Canon U.S.A. and NCMEC, donates product to help law enforcement quickly disseminate photos and information about missing children, produces PSAs with missing children photos, and educates parents about tips for taking and maintaining updated photos of their children.
“Time is the enemy in the search for a missing child. So, we need to move now. We cannot wait until tomorrow,” said Ernie Allen, president and chief executive officer of NCMEC. “For the past ten years, Canon USA has worked hand-in-hand with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and provided vital technology to police departments across America. As a result law enforcement is better prepared, responding more swiftly and effectively than ever before, and more missing children are coming home safely than at any time in the nation’s history.”
In cooperation with Canon4Kids, the New York Yankees sponsor the “Tag-A-Kid Program” at Yankee Stadium. Through this initiative, wristbands are offered at customer service booth locations throughout the Stadium to assist security personnel in identifying seating locations of lost children and reuniting them with their parents. Promotion of the program is featured on the centerfield matrix and DiamondVision boards, as well as on the new light-emitting diode (LED) side scoreboards.
As part of the Canon4Kids program, more than 1,800 pieces of donated Canon equipment (digital cameras, fax-phones, printers and scanners) have been distributed to law-enforcement agencies in 44 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia and internationally. The program also includes the placement of public service announcements with photographs of missing children in newspapers and magazines across the country to help in the recovery process.
Canon U.S.A. also protects future generations by helping to preserve nature’s most valuable resources through the support of a wide range of environmental and youth programs. Canon U.S.A. supports the Canon Envirothon, one of North America’s largest high school environmental education competitions; the PBS Nature series; supports Yellowstone National Park; and many additional local programs