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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, May 22, 2006

Parents prepare ID kits for keiki

By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer

Two-month-old Anela de Vie Colbert gets some fingerprinting help from dad Corwin Colbert at yesterday's keiki identification event at Kahala Mall. The child ID kits were provided by a state agency.

JOAQUIN SIOPACK | The Honolulu Advertiser

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MISSING CHILDREN

For more information on Missing Child Center-Hawaii, call 586-1449 or visit www.missingchildcenterhawaii.com.

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TIPS TO PASS ON TO CHILDREN

• Always check first with parents or the person in charge before going anywhere or taking anything from others.

• Always take a friend.

• Know your name, address, telephone number and parents’ names.

• Say no if someone tries to touch you in a way that makes you feel scared, uncomfortable or confused.

Source: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, www.missingkids.com.

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Two-year-old Jade Bagano gets her height measured as mother Edie Kamioka of 'Aiea watches. Her twin sister, Tyra, was waiting nearby with dad Dean Bagano.

JOAQUIN SIOPACK | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Anela de Vie Colbert goes through part of the keiki ID process in the arms of mother Myra Colbert.

JOAQUIN SIOPACK | Honolulu Advertiser

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A steady stream of parents stopped off at the group of tables set up in the center of Kahala Mall yesterday with the same mission in mind: keep their kids safe.

Moms and dads filled out keiki ID packets that included identifying data such as height, weight, fingerprints, a photo, dental records and even a place to keep a lock of hair, for DNA.

The event was staged by the Missing Child Center-Hawai'i to help parents put all the vital information about their children in one place so if the child is ever abducted or lost, they can give authorities the needed information.

Stephanie Clark had her daughter sit at one of the tables to be fingerprinted. Clark told her 4-year-old that they needed "pictures of her fingers" in case she ever got lost.

"We travel a lot," Clark said. "It's very, very important to have this information. You never know when you'll need it."

The center, an office under the state Attorney General's Office, recommends that the information — especially the photo — be updated every six months.

In Hawai'i about 3,600 children a year are abducted or run away, said Michelle Nishizawa, assistant coordinator of the Missing Child Center-Hawai'i.

The center operates as a response agency when children go missing; offers information on the prevention of abductions and runaways; maintains a database on missing children; operates a telephone hotline to report sightings of missing children; and coordinates training for law enforcement and other professionals who deal with missing children.

"When a child is abducted by a stranger, the chances of being killed are high in the first three hours," Nishizawa said. "You don't want the parents to struggle trying to find out (child identification) information.

"Time really is of the essence."

Nishizawa said the organization will hold a fundraiser from 5:30 to 9 p.m. July 27 in the Royal Hawaiian hotel's Monarch Ballroom. To order the $50 tickets, call 586-1449.

Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com.


Correction: The date for the Missing Child Center-Hawaii fundraiser was incorrect in a previous version of this story.