DETROIT – The Detroit Lions announced today that they have joined UAW-Ford in their support of the American Football Coaches Association’s (AFCA) National Child Identification Program. This initiative has distributed inkless fingerprint child ID kits to tens of thousands of families in communities across the nation.
“At Ford Motor Company, we believe in safety first – not just for our employees but for their family members and the community at large” said Bill Dirksen, Ford vice president for Labor Affairs. “We are proud to stand with our UAW partners, the Detroit Lions and the American Football Coaches Association and support the National Child ID Program.”
The child ID kit contains fingerprinting materials, DNA collection swabs, and other resources to allow parents and guardians to easily record information about their children on cards that are kept at their homes to be shared with authorities if ever needed in order to locate a missing child.
“UAW-Ford believes in giving back to the communities in which we live and work,” said Jimmy Settles, UAW-Ford vice president. “Child safety is one of the foundations of a strong community,” Settles added. “We are proud to partner with Ford Motor Company, the Detroit Lions and the American Football Coaches Association to help protect children throughout the state of Michigan.”
The Detroit Lions will help facilitate distribution of ID kits as well as collaborate to raise awareness of the AFCA National Child Identification Program for Michigan families in 2015.
The Lions are teaming up to make the announcement this week with the Green Bay Packers, who are leading a similar effort in the state of Wisconsin. Prior to Sunday’s game, Detroit Lions Team President Tom Lewand and Packers President Mark Murphy will give out a ceremonial first kit on Lambeau Field.
The Texas-based AFCA created the National Child Identification Program in 1997 with a goal of creating a fingerprint record of 20 million children. The popularity of the program has far exceeded expectations, with more than 32 million kits distributed nationally and internationally, making the National Child Identification Program the largest child identification effort ever conducted.