If your child went missing, would you ever give up the search? We didn't think so. Neither would we.
It's hard to imagine the emotional pain parents of missing children must face every day.
This Saturday is Missing and Unidentified Person's Awareness Day in Missouri, as designated by Gov. Eric Greitens in a proclamation.
Last Saturday, Missouri Missing celebrated its 10th anniversary, along with Unidentified Person's Awareness Day. The mantra during the day was: "Never, never give up."
The organization is a statewide not-for-profit group aimed at uniting as one voice for those missing; creating a support network for the loved ones of all missing persons and educating and creating awareness for the families of all missing persons.
More than 1,000 people are listed on the Missouri Highway Patrol's Missing Persons Clearinghouse. The newest name on the list is Desirea Ferris, of Liberty, who went missing in May.
It has taken high-profile cases of missing people, but progress has been made in coordinating efforts to find missing people. John Walsh, whose son Adam was abducted and missing before he was found dead, shed light on the issue through "America's Most Wanted" and other TV shows.
More recently, the Amber Alert system was implemented. It was named after Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old abducted and murdered in Arlington, Texas, in 1996.
Amber Alerts have helped to spread the word quickly when abductions occur. Public messages are sent out by the media, cellphones and alerts on highway electronic signs.
On Wednesday, the Associated Press reported federal legislation to expand the Amber Alert child abduction emergency notification system in Native American communities across the country has cleared its last hurdle before heading to the full U.S. Senate for consideration.
We're hopeful Congress will enact this common-sense legislation.
We commend Missouri Missing and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for fighting for those without a voice. If we all collectively won't fight for them, who will?
If you would like to join Missouri Missing or volunteer to help the group with fundraising and awareness, contact Marianne Asher-Chapman at 573-619-8100.