Fort Morgan State Bank wants local parents to be ready with the information they need in the event of their worst nightmare: a missing child.

The bank has purchased equipment to photograph and fingerprint children and provide a printout that also includes physical descriptions and other vital information on the kids.

Parents can keep the information sheets at home, take them on trips or carry them at all times so they can quickly provide information to police if a child goes missing, said Carrie Mobley, director of marketing and client relations at Fort Morgan State Bank.

“Over 70,000 children are reported missing each year, and in the first 60 minutes, a child can be 60 miles away or further,” Mobley said. “We want to help in any way we can to find these children.”

The bank will kick it off its campaign with the Windmill Print-a-Thon on Friday, Aug. 29.

The event will be held at the bank at 520 Sherman St. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and parents of children of all ages are encouraged to come by and take part.“We can do children as young as 3 months or as old as 18 years,” Mobley said.

The service is free, she said, and the Windmill Print-a-Thon will be the local bank’s final Community Friday event of the summer.

The Platte Valley Festival Band will be playing from noon to 1 p.m., and lunch will be served in the bank parking lot from about 11:30 to 1:30.

Mobley said Fort Morgan State Bank plans to hold similar events on the final Community Friday of each summer, because officials feel the child information sheets, pictures and biographies should be updated each year.

Because the bank has bought the equipment, it will also bring the service to other local events and conduct sessions throughout the year.

“For example, if the Sunrise Optimists wanted to do this during their soccer signups, we would do that,” Mobley said.

“If any business or club would like us to come out, we’d be interested in doing that, too.”

The process takes just minutes to get fingerprints, a photo and other information and print out a copy for parents to take home, she said.

The completed information sheets give parents all the information they need to provide to police to help in a search if a child is missing, she said.

Mobley said an example of the value of the program comes from the widely publicized case of Madeleine McCann, the little British girl who went missing from a hotel in Portugal during a family vacation last year and has never been found.

“She was supposedly spotted in another country a couple of days later,” Mobley said.

“If the parents had a sheet like this to give to the police, they may have been able to ID her.”

For more information or to set up future events, call Mobley at 867-3319.

1. Don't let your child wear clothing with his or her name on it. A child will tend to pay attention to anyone calling him or her by name.

2. Videotape and take photos of your child two or three times per year, including profile shots.

3. Do not leave a child unattended while shopping, visiting with neighbours or friends, or running errands. Under no circumstances should you leave a child alone in a car or truck.

4. Make sure your child always checks with you before going anywhere with anyone.

5. Make sure your child learns his or her address and phone number at an early age. A second phone number of a friend or relative is also helpful.

6. Teach your child how to make a Emergency (999) or (911) phone call, and to begin with "Operator...I'm in trouble; I need your help."

7. If your child is a latch-key kid, make sure that he or she knows to keep all doors and windows locked, never let anyone know that he or she is alone, and never let anyone in the house, not even someone claiming to be a police officer or from the fire department. Those kinds of professionals know to forcibly enter in case of an emergency.

8. Know whether your child is left or right handed.

9. Keep a written record of all birthmarks, scars and identifying features, like moles or freckles.

10. Keep a growth chart of your child; know his or her height.

11. Make sure your child knows to scream and run if approached in an alarming way by anyone. Your child should be taught to ALWAYS tell you immediately if he or she is approached by a stranger who asks for help, offers sweets/gifts, or frightens him/her in anyway. Your child should know to make you aware of anytime he or she feels uncomfortable with ANYONE.