Canon Promotional Day at Yankee Stadium Focuses on What Families Can Do To Keep Children Safe and the Use of Digital Photos to Help Locate Missing Children
Press Release
Canon U.S.A., Inc., The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) and the New York Yankees are once again combining efforts to help raise greater awareness of issues related to locating missing children at Canon’s fifth annual promotional night at Yankee Stadium, when the Yankees take on the Baltimore Orioles.
During pre-game ceremonies, Ted Nakamura, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A., will present John Walsh, co-founder of NCMEC and host of the television series “America’s Most Wanted,” with a check for $760,000, representing the amount of money raised and invested by Canon U.S.A. on behalf of NCMEC.
“Canon’s commitment to building a better world for future generations is echoed in our corporate philosophy, Kyosei – all people, regardless of race, religion, or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future – and we can find no cause more worthy than the protection of our most precious resource, our children,” said Joe Adachi, president and chief executive officer, Canon U.S.A.. “For the fifth year now, Canon has worked with NCMEC and the New York Yankees to bring into focus the many ways digital cameras, printers and photos can play a key role in helping to locate missing children. To date, Canon’s support of NCMEC has contributed to the recovery of 167 missing children.”
Since 1998, Canon U.S.A. and NCMEC have collaborated to educate the public about the growing issue of child abduction. The Canon4Kids program, a partnership between Canon U.S.A. and NCMEC, donates product to help law enforcement quickly disseminate photos and information about missing children, produces PSAs with missing children photos, and educates parents about tips for taking and maintaining updated photos of their children.
“Time is the enemy in the search for a missing child. So, we need to move now. We cannot wait until tomorrow,” said Ernie Allen, president and chief executive officer of NCMEC. “For the past ten years, Canon USA has worked hand-in-hand with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and provided vital technology to police departments across America. As a result law enforcement is better prepared, responding more swiftly and effectively than ever before, and more missing children are coming home safely than at any time in the nation’s history.”
In cooperation with Canon4Kids, the New York Yankees sponsor the “Tag-A-Kid Program” at Yankee Stadium. Through this initiative, wristbands are offered at customer service booth locations throughout the Stadium to assist security personnel in identifying seating locations of lost children and reuniting them with their parents. Promotion of the program is featured on the centerfield matrix and DiamondVision boards, as well as on the new light-emitting diode (LED) side scoreboards.
As part of the Canon4Kids program, more than 1,800 pieces of donated Canon equipment (digital cameras, fax-phones, printers and scanners) have been distributed to law-enforcement agencies in 44 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia and internationally. The program also includes the placement of public service announcements with photographs of missing children in newspapers and magazines across the country to help in the recovery process.
Canon U.S.A. also protects future generations by helping to preserve nature’s most valuable resources through the support of a wide range of environmental and youth programs. Canon U.S.A. supports the Canon Envirothon, one of North America’s largest high school environmental education competitions; the PBS Nature series; supports Yellowstone National Park; and many additional local programs. For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com/environment
About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children®
NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to helping to protect children from abduction and sexual exploitation. NCMEC’s congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting mechanism for child sexual exploitation, has handled more than 576,000 leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 141,200 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 125,000 children. For more information about NCMEC, please call its toll-free hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit www.missingkids.com.
About Canon’s Sponsorship of the New York Yankees
Since 2000, Canon has been a sponsor of the New York Yankees. In 2004, Canon increased its presence at Yankee Stadium with an outfield sign on the left field wall, further enhancing the Company’s brand presence for millions of fans.
In addition to the prominent left field sign, Canon continues to receive exposure on signage behind home plate during the top of the sixth inning. Concourse dioramas featuring Canon print advertising are also displayed on the field level of the Stadium, with a Canon television commercial featured as part of pre-game exposure on the DiamondVision board.
Canon’s sponsorship also includes the “Official Printer, Copier, and SLR Camera of the New York Yankees” designation.
About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranking third overall in the U.S. in 2007†, with global revenues of $39.3 billion, is listed as one of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies in America and is on the 2007 BusinessWeek list of “Top 100 Brands.”