Dealership hosts Operation Kidsafe event
With constant reminders of the dangers facing children these days, it certainly pays to be as vigilant and as prepared as possible should the unthinkable occur.
And one of the best ways parents can help their children is by providing as much information as possible about them.
That’s why the Operation Kidsafe is such an important step in that direction, said Brad Francis, owner of the Brad Francis All-American Auto Mall in Los Lunas.
Today at the dealerships, children and parents can take that important step of being prepared, he said.
“There seems to be more and more incidents involving missing children and we want parents to have the chance to have their children’s information, just in case,” Francis said.
Under the program, children’s fingerprints are taken, and families fill out a biography document that they keep, but can have readily available if necessary.
“We are always looking for chances to do things for our community and so when Operation Kidsafe came to us we were happy to arrange this event,” Francis said. “Since I am a local business owner, I feel like I have to take every opportunity to give back to our local community, Operation Kidsafe seemed like a great chance to do that.”
All the information is kept by the family, which is part of the appeal of the program, he said.
“The biggest thing that attracted me was that there is absolute privacy with this program,” Francis said. “No records are kept except for the bio document that is given directly to the parents.”
It’s a program that has been successful across the country.
“This is a national program that has protected over one million children so we felt confident inviting them to our dealerships,” Francis added.
While this may help drive business to the dealership, that was not a consideration whatsoever, he said.
“This is an entirely free service that we are offering without any obligation,” Francis said. “Of course our staff will be happy to help anyone that is interested in looking at a vehicle while they are here but our first goal is that we get as many children (protected) as possible.”