MONTREAL, Sept. 13, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - The Missing Children's Network is proud to announce that the Air Canada Foundation will support its sexual exploitation prevention program with a donation of $25,000. This generous donation will contribute to improving the program through the creation of educational tools to help youth recognize the dangers of exploitation.
The program to prevent sexual exploitation and trafficking of Quebec youth is a preventive approach for educators, parents and community stakeholders. This program will teach youth how to recognize the dangers of sexual exploitation. It will also involve creating a directory of resources and a bilingual "turnkey" kit for youth and educators that is adapted to Quebec regions and communities.
The Missing Children's Network aims to educate over 37,000 youth across Quebec in the next three years about sexual exploitation problems, the dangers that runaways face and how to protect themselves and find help. Prevention workshops will be presented to students at targeted schools as well as remotely through a web platform. Seminars will be held for parents and guardians, and the main stakeholders working with children and youth will be informed about sexual exploitation and how to protect young people.
For many years now, the Missing Children's Network has had the privilege of receiving the ongoing support of the Air Canada Foundation, which donates plane tickets for fundraising events. "We thank the Air Canada Foundation from the bottom of our hearts for its great generosity to our cause and for their support, which helps us have a tangible impact in the community by reuniting families and protecting our youth. We are very grateful to them," says Pina Arcamone, Director General of the Missing Children's Network.
Priscille Leblanc, President of the Air Canada Foundation, stressed that: "As the health and well-being of children are at the heart of the Air Canada Foundation's mission, we are proud of our long-time partnership with the Missing Children's Network. In addition to our ongoing support for programs to prevent the sexual exploitation of children, we are particularly proud to enhance the efforts of the Missing Children's Network to increase the visibility of the danger related to this issue."
About the Missing Children's Network
Founded in 1985, the Missing Children's Network is the only non-profit organization in Quebec that is dedicated to the search for missing children and to the prevention of their disappearance. Regardless of the motive for the disappearance, from running away to a parental abduction or criminal abduction, the Missing Children's Network team supports, accompanies and counsels families whose child is missing.
In addition, the team works closely with law enforcement, child welfare and government agencies and the media to locate missing children and return them safe and sound to their families. Since its creation, the Missing Children's Network has assisted law enforcement in recovering 1,297 children and has educated over 180,500 students on how to stay safe, both on and offline.
The Missing Children's Network is a recognized partner of the National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains (NCMPUR) of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, in addition to being a proud member of AMECO (Association of Missing and Exploited Children's Organizations), an association of non-profit organizations that serve missing and exploited children.
About the Air Canada Foundation
The Air Canada Foundation, a not-for-profit organization focused on the health and well-being of children and youth, was launched in 2012. It offers financial and in-kind support, through travel assistance, to Canadian registered charities. Core programs include the Air Canada Foundation Hospital Transportation Program, which donates Aeroplan Miles to pediatric hospitals across Canada, enabling children to access medical care unavailable locally, and the Volunteer Involvement Program, which recognizes the involvement of Air Canada employees in their local communities by providing airline tickets to registered charities in support of their fundraising activities. The Foundation also offers continued support to major health-related causes that benefit Canadians and actively participates in international humanitarian relief activity as the need arises. In collaboration with the airline, the Air Canada Foundation also participates directly in fundraising activities such as the Every Bit Counts program, which encourages customers to donate loose change on board flights or through airport collection containers. For more information about the Air Canada Foundation, please visit www.aircanada.com/foundation or the 2015 Corporate Sustainability Report: Citizens of the World, online at www.aircanada.com/Foundation/Citizensoftheworld.
SOURCE Réseau enfants-retour
Delphine Décarie, Communications Officer, Missing Children's Network, 514-616-0193; Isabelle Arthur, Manager, Media Relations & Manager, Air Canada Foundation, Air Canada, 514-422-5788
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