The Masonic Child Identification program will take place in Rumford at the Moontide Festival on July 4, and in Bethel on July 19 at the Mollyocket Festival. Children from toddler age to eighteen years can be video taped and fingerprinted at NO CHARGE. All information is given to the parent or guardian. There is nothing that is retained or given to anyone else.

With the advent of the Amber Alert system being put into operations, a video of a missing child may be broadcast nation wide in a very short time. For this reason, if a tape has been made in the past it should be updated as kids do change as they mature. A DNA sample should be included in the kit as well as dental records. Saliva and a hair sample should suffice as well as updated dental records. In a recent test using a group of identical twins, a sample of saliva was given to a tracking dog. Within minutes the dog identified the correct donor.

Another interesting fact has arisen, the highest percentage of abducted people fall into the age group between 13 and 19 years of age. Most of these were females who were using radios or tape players using head phones.

We urge all parents to take advantage of this program. It takes only a few minutes to fill out the permission slip, and you will have an useful tool to use in an emergency.

This service is provide by the Grand Lodge of Maine and the Masons of the 20th Masonic District. For more information contact Crawford Perry at 824-4446, Jim Robertson at 369-9422, or Ralph Clarke at 562-7482.