• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Valassis Strengthens Commitment to Missing Children With Pledge to Raise $75,000

Posted on: Monday, 11 May 2009, 12:33 CDT

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is Charity of Choice

LIVONIA, Mich., May 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Valassis (NYSE: VCI), one of the nation's leading media and marketing services companies, announced today that it has strengthened its commitment to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children(R) (NCMEC). In addition to featuring the faces of missing children on its RedPlum products in the mail, the newspaper and at redplum.com, Valassis employees have pledged to raise $75,000 for NCMEC in 2009 during the organization's 25th anniversary year.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090511/DE14714 )

Valassis continues its tradition of conducting an employee vote on a charity to support through a variety of fund-raising events. Underscoring a corporate commitment to help in the recovery of missing children, NCMEC was overwhelmingly selected by Valassis employees as the charity of choice for 2009, and fund-raising is well under way. This announcement comes as many nonprofit organizations struggle with cutbacks in both private and corporate donations due to the tough economy.

"The work of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children wouldn't be possible without the support of partners like Valassis," said Ernie Allen, NCMEC President and CEO. "The dedication of the company and its employees has literally saved lives and brought many missing children home safely. We are grateful that after almost 25 years of working together to help children, our partnership continues to grow."

NCMEC's anniversary is a prelude to the 25th anniversary in 2010 of Valassis' America's Looking for Its Missing Children(R) program, which provides hope for families across the country with missing children. The program, conducted in partnership with NCMEC and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), has directly led to the successful recovery of 148 children. Together, more than 132,300 have been recovered as a result of NCMEC and its partners' efforts.

"I take great pride in Valassis' continued commitment to this national cause," said Vince Giuliano, Valassis Senior Vice President, Government Relations. "Once again our employees have stepped forward to make a difference in the lives of missing children and searching families. Their dedication and commitment to embrace this national public service program as part of our daily business is laudable indeed."

In May, there is a renewed effort to reunite missing children and their families by helping to make child safety a top priority as National Missing Children's Day is recognized each year on May 25. The day was first proclaimed in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan. It is the anniversary of the day in 1979 when 6-year-old Etan Patz disappeared from a New York street corner on his way to school. His story captivated the nation. For three decades, the search for Etan has continued.

A primary goal of National Missing Children's Day is to remind all parents and grandparents that photos are the No. 1 tool for law enforcement to recover a missing child, and that photos provide much needed hope for searching families. Valassis is celebrating its partnership throughout the month by promoting child safety to all of its employees and has created a poster displayed throughout its locations that sends the message that "Just 2 Eyes" are needed to find a missing child. For child safety tips on redplum.com, go to: http://www.redplum.com/Pages/Baby.aspx?ep=homepage_feature

About Valassis

Valassis is one of the nation's leading media and marketing services companies, offering unparalleled reach and scale to more than 15,000 advertisers. Its RedPlum media portfolio delivers value on a weekly basis to over 100 million shoppers across a multi-media platform - in-home, in-store and in-motion. Through its interactive offering - redplum.com - consumers will find compelling national and local deals online. Headquartered in Livonia, Michigan with approximately 7,000 associates in 28 states and eight countries, Valassis is widely recognized for its associate and corporate citizenship programs, including its America's Looking for Its Missing Children(R) program. Valassis companies include Valassis Direct Mail, Inc., Valassis Canada, Promotion Watch, Valassis Relationship Marketing Systems, LLC and NCH Marketing Services, Inc. For more information, visit http://www.valassis.com or http://www.redplum.com. To learn about advertising opportunities with RedPlum, please call 1-800-437-0479.

SOURCE Valassis

Source: PR Newswire

More News in this Category