Governor declares October 22 as SmileSafe™ Day in Indiana

Eden Prairie, Minn. -- Indiana Governor Mike Pence has issued a proclamation declaring Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, SmileSafe Day in Indiana. This day of recognition celebrates the partnership between Lifetouch and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in providing SmileSafe photo ID cards to help parents and law enforcement obtain a current school picture if a child goes missing.

SmileSafe Day also marks the launch of the Lifetouch SmileSafe National Safety Program, which makes electronic and paper ID cards and resources for online safety readily available to families with children in elementary school, middle school and high school. Since its inception, SmileSafe photo ID cards have aided the safe return of children in 24 states.

Each card carries a current portrait of the child along with the phone number for the National Center and unique access codes for portrait retrieval. When the Center receives a call, it contacts the Lifetouch Rapid Response team that in turn forwards a current photograph to law enforcement, 24/7.

During the last decade, approximately 400 million SmileSafe photo ID cards have been provided nationwide with approximately 9,625,000 distributed in Indiana. These cards are given free of charge to families with children in schools where Lifetouch offers photography services, regardless of a portrait purchase.

Indiana joins more than a dozen other states in recognizing SmileSafe Day, encouraging families to learn more about this important resource. More information about the SmileSafe photo ID card and the Lifetouch National Safety program is available at smilesafe.com.

Schools in Greene County listed on the Lifetouch photography site include: Linton-Stockton Elementary School, Linton-Stockton Middle School, Linton-Stockton High School, Calvary Christian School, Zion's Hill Baptist School and Blessed Hope Christian School.