Technical Enhancement and Office Expansion

This award will support the Nevada Child Seekers efforts to provide additional resources to effectively enhance services to locate missing, abducted, and runaway children as well as keep pace with our organization's growing responsibilities. The proliferation or these efforts is in direct response to a population growth of 50,000 people per year in Southern Nevada and a lack of missing children services in Northern Nevada. Therefore, it is Nevada Child Seekers intention to complete the following activities, to include: establish a satellite office in Reno, Nevada, obtain and equip a Mobile Communications Center for Southern Nevada, obtain 25 Hand Held Portable Radios, and enhance education programs and purchase education materials for both Southern and Northern Nevada.

Using OJJDP funds, the Nevada Child Seekers will open a satellite office in Reno, Nevada in order to allow the organization to reach the thousands of families that have not been able to benefit from the organization's services developed over the past 17 years. The proven program of helping families in crisis, assisting law enforcement when needed, and reaching out to the community with safety education will be duplicated in Northern Nevada. Along with a new Reno office, a Deputy Director for the office will be hired, answer directly to the Executive Director, and will be responsible for the day to day programs for Northern Nevada.

In addition to opening and staffing a new office, OJJDP funds will be used to purchase necessary equipment to enhance and expand the Nevada Child Seekers Volunteer Search Force. Formed in 1994, the 400 member, all volunteer search force stands ready to activate when law enforcement requests assistance in their efforts to search for and locate a missing person. Since the first 12 hours of a child's disappearance is critical in finding the child alive, the Search Force has become an invaluable resource to the community of Southern Nevada. Along with needed equipment, the Nevada Child Seekers will purchase a Mobile Communications Center using grant funds. The ongoing cost of gas, registration and maintenance of the RV will be covered through our current budget.

nca/ncf