CHIPS FOR KIDS, COURTESY OF THE MASONS

PRESS RELEASE

Athelstane Masonic Lodge (Pearl River, NY) as part of their ongoing community outreach programs is again partnering with area Masons to provide a free safety ID opportunity for parents and caregivers for a digital ID of children, teenagers and seniors. This program, sometimes referred to as CHIP (Child ID Program) is recognized as part of the Amber Alert Program in conjunction with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The Masonic Safety ID will be held Friday thru Sunday, February 19, 20, 21  at Rockland Community College  in the Eugene Levy RCC Field House. There is no charge for this service. It is anticipated than more than 300 IDs will be done at this event.

According to law enforcement officials, more than 20,000 children are reported “missing” each year in New York State alone. The Masons in New York State annually provide free safety IDs in hundreds of locations and since the program’s inception a dozen years ago, more than 500,000 children and adults have been afforded this electronic ID safety “protection.” Parents are given a computer disk including name, address, parents or guardian, digital facial pictures, fingerprints and all vital personal information and pertinent physical characteristics. This mini disk can then be given to the first police on the scene to enter into the Amber Alert system should the need arise.  Parents and caregivers are reminded that an ID should be updated every few years as personal characteristics change as a child grows older.

The Masonic Safety ID Program will be held at Rockland’s 29th  Suburban Home Show at RCC’s Eugene Levy Field House, 145 College Road in Suffern. Show Hours are Friday, February 19 from 3-9 p.m.; Saturday, February 20 from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.; and Sunday, February 21 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.  No advance reservations are required for the Masonic Safety ID Program.