The Phoenix New Times News Blog

The National Center for Missing Adults needs you

Wed Jul 16, 2008 at 07:12:44 PM

By Sarah Fenske

You can't find anyone who'll say a bad word about the National Center for Missing Adults. The Phoenix-based non-profit agency has been the adult version of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for more than a decade--serving as a national database and resource for families with missing persons over the age of 18.

But as I reported last fall, Congressional squabbling has held up the agency's funding for more than two years. Apparently, this has nothing to do with the National Center's performance, yet founder and CEO Kym Pasqualini told me that without a cash infusion, she'd have no choice but to close her doors ASAP.

That was in November, yet Pasqualini has managed to hang on, somehow. And now, Congress may finally be ready to take some action. Pasqualini's supporters say there's a hearing to discuss the agency's funding scheduled for 2 p.m. EST. Supporters are urged to call their Congressional representative and urge them to move on H.R. 423, also known as "Kristen's Act Reathorization of 2007." (And yes, I know it's 2008 already ... see what I mean about Congressional stalling?)

For more information on how to get involved, check out this Web page from the Center. It'll only take a minute, but, trust me, somewhere out there a family missing a loved one will be very grateful that you took the time to help.

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3 Comments:

PublicSpirit says:

I attended the House Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday. It's rare these days for everyone from both parties to come together on an important issue of service to the public, but in this case every single witness and every member of the subcommittee was in favor of reauthorization of funding for the National Center for Missing Adults. Congresswoman Sue Myrick testified to how impressed she was by the staff at NCMA and the extraordinary work they have done. As the bill's sponsor, Rep Myrick hopes to have this bill acted on before the August recess. That will require some significant input from the public to get the bill marked up and voted on. If only the other members of Arizona's congressional delegation would follow the lead of Congressman Ed Pastor and add their names to the growing list of cosponsors to HR 423.

Carlos says:

Just wondering...is there an organization that helps'adults" find their brains? If not there should be and help all those :nativist" find their brains because I think most of them lost it...But then it won't be hard to know where their brains are going.. (look in the toilet)every time they go there some of their brains go, once they flush it

Alex says:

NOKR EXPANDS ITS MISSION TO HELP FIND OUR NATIONS MISSING

For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
San Diego, California USA

NOKR has partnered with the National Center for Missing Adults (NCMA) to become a force multiplier in locating adults missing in the United States.

According to the (NCMA) an astounding 2,300 Americans are reported missing every day, including both adults and children.

NOKR as the Emergency Contact Registry receives phone calls daily from family members and individuals missing due to Alzheimer's, Suspicious Circumstances and sadly to Hurricane Katrina, which displaced 447,827 individuals in both Louisiana and Mississippi.

NOKR's mission is to store vital emergency contact information for the pubic that is provided securely to emergency agencies during times of urgent need. NOKR is the central depository for emergency contact information for the United States; this is a free resource that is paid for by donations.

NOKR's President Mark Cerney said, " NOKR has partnered with the NCMA to serve our nations missing by providing a louder voice. The NCMA is a under valued and possibly unknown resource that many families and individuals will never want to utilize until the need may sadly occur."

A common misconception is that a person must be absent for 72 hours before being legally classed as missing, but this is rarely the case; in instances where there is evidence of violence or of an unusual absence, law enforcement agencies often stress the importance of beginning an investigation promptly.

Kym L. Pasqualini NCMA's President and founder has volunteered to join the NOKR staff to become NOKR's Director For Missing Persons. NOKR is a 100% volunteer work force with volunteers in 87 countries. Ms. Pasqualini's addition, in conjunction with NCMA's support will allow NOKR to better support the missing until they come home.

NOKR would also like to ask the public today to help support this valuable service the NCMA's provides our country as this agency relies on donor funding to provide its services. To make a donation please visit www.theyaremissed.org

About NOKR
The National Next Of Kin Registry (NOKR) is a humanitarian non-profit 501(c)(3) dedicated to bridging rapid emergency contact information. NOKR was established in January 2004, for daily emergency situations. NOKR is now listed on more than 92% of all State websites, the American Red Cross, Homeland Security Disasterhelp.gov, USA.gov and other federal agencies, as a critical resource for daily emergencies. For more information please contact Mark Cerney at (202) 730-9764 or visit NOKR's website at www.nokr.org.

About NCMA
The National Center for Missing Adults (NCMA) is a division of Nation's Missing Children Organization, Inc. (NMCO) - a 501c (3) non-profit organization providing assistance to law enforcement agencies throughout the country. The National Center for Missing Adults (NCMA) was formally established after the passage of Kristen's Law (H.R. 2780) by the 106th United States Congress on October 26th, 2000 (S11181). As directed by H.R. 2780, NCMA operates as the national clearinghouse for missing adults, providing services and coordination between various government agencies, law enforcement, media, and most importantly - the families of missing adults.

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