Comcast, one of the nation’s leading cable service providers, wants to help in the effort to bring America’s missing children back to their families.
Through a partnership with the National Center of Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), the company has launched “Missing Kids On Demand,” a service that will provide profiles and information about missing children from across the nation to the company’s millions of subscribers. The new service is also available on Comcast’s website.
“The best way to help find a missing child is to get the message out as broadly as possible,” Ernie Allen, president and CEO of the NCMEC said in a statement. “Our partnership with Comcast enables us to reach millions of homes across the country we may not otherwise reach and empowers viewers with the resources they need to help solve cases.”
Found in Comcast subscribers’ On Demand menu, “Missing Kids On Demand” features video profiles of over 20 missing children. Each profile provides relevant details about the child’s case, their photos, their hometowns and their possible whereabouts. Also, if the child has been missing for a long period of time, age progression photos are included to show what he or she may look like today. If a viewer recognizes one of the featured children or has information regarding their case, they can contact the NCMEC at the number displayed at the bottom of the screen on each profile.
Derrica Wilson, president and CEO of the national nonprofit Black and Missing told the {AFRO} in a recent interview that “Missing Kids On Demand” will be a tremendous help to her organization and hopes the service will feature children from a wide range of racial backgrounds.
“I would like to see a very well-rounded diverse profile, therefore every family could get that equal opportunity of getting their loved ones out there with the chances of being reunited or receive closure,” Wilson said.
“Missing Kids On Demand” was created following the success of the company’s “Police Blotter On Demand,” which offers profiles of local “Most Wanted” criminals in partnership with local authorities. Following its launch in 2006, Police Blotter has assisted in the capture of over 90 criminals.
“Our On Demand and online platforms have a strong track record of helping raise awareness for important issues,” Diana Kerekes, vice president of Comcast’s Entertainment Services said in a statement. “We’ve seen real success with other public service initiatives available…and we hope this partnership can help drive awareness of missing children, the efforts of the NCMEC and law enforcement.”
‘Missing Kids On Demand’ is available now On Demand and online at Xfinity.com/news/missingkids.