Every 41 seconds in the United States, a child is reported missing to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. In the United States you have a better chance of recovering your stolen vehicle than your child or grandchild.

The CHILD IDENTIFICATION PROGRAM, sponsored by the Freemasons of Maine under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Maine, is the most comprehensive service of its kind anywhere. CHIPS is provided free of charge to the public, and all of the identifying items generated during CHIPS are given to the child’s family.

The CHIPS program includes the following:

•VIDEOTAPE: A brief videotaped interview that can be quickly distributed to the media in order to reach a huge audience.

•FINGERPRINTING: Fingerprinting is a well-known means of identification. Resourceful parents keep fingerprints available should the need arise.

The CHIPS Program is now recognized as the most comprehensive recovery program in the Nation. With the signing by President George W. Bush of the National Amber Alert, if a child is reported missing, a video tape can be transmitted to all 50 states instantly on radio stations or highway signs.

Teenage girls, between the ages of 11 to 19, are the group most often reported missing. .Seventy-five percent of all non-family abductions in America are teenage girls. The number one target is females wearing headsets. The second most common target is children going to and from school. Finger prints are a powerful tool, not only as identification but also as a means of placing a child at a particular location; many times that is the scene of a crime.

A good photo or videotape might be the difference between life or death and a safe recovery. The CHIPS program will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.