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Masons offer child ID kit at Honey Fest

BY Staff May 08, 2009 19:05

The Masonic Lodge in Beeton is providing parents with a powerful tool for police to help find a child if he or she goes missing.

The Spry Lodge is producing child identification kits at the Beeton Honey Festival May 23.

The kits are free of charge and will give parents with a lot of what they need to provide to police if a child goes missing.

"The idea is that it is an immediate response. The first two to four hours of a child's disappearance is critical," said Colin Thain from the Spry Lodge.

The free kit includes ID cards and CD-ROMs containing a physical description of the child, still photos, video and audio voice samplers. A dental plate and cheek swab are also taken.

Thain said the package, which is called MasoniCh.I.P., is given to the parents and that the Masonic Lodge and the police do not retain any of the information. It is up to the parents to make it available if their child is reported missing.

Thain said the lodge hopes to run about 200 to 250 children through the program this summer. He said that because children's features, looks and voices are always changing, the lodge would like to make it an annual event.

Because the event is free, the lodge is currently fundraising to help pay for the service. It is looking for corporate sponsors.

The ID kits will be available May 23 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the corner of Main Street and Centre Street.

For more information sponsorship opportunities call Thain at 905-729-4437 or Terry Anderson at 905-729-4825.

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