CHIP provides protection for youth

A program that could help locate missing children will be held next week in Kimball Schools.

The CHIP (Child Identification Program) will be hosted by James L. Eatmon Masonic Lodge #294 on Nov. 10 at Mary Lynch Elementary School and on Nov. 13 at Kimball Junior/Senior High School.

The program provides a photograph, a webcam interview with the child, digital fingerprints, dental bite impression (provided they are old enough to have teeth) and DNA through a cheek swab.

The information is then given to the parent, grandparent or guardian, and no information is kept by the Masons organization or any of the other organizations helping with the CHIP program.

In the next week, the schools will send home information and forms for parents or guardians to fill out if they want their children to participate in the program.

“We would also like to invite all parents to bring their children under the age of 19,” said Kevin Wynne, junior warden of the local Masonic lodge. “This of course includes home schooled children, or even children that might be here visiting grandparents. And there is no cost to the parent or grandparent.”

The cost of the program was met through the donations from local businesses.

Partnering with the Masons, for the program are members of the State Troopers Association of Nebraska, the Nebraska Sheriff’s Association, the Nebraska Dental Association, Nebraska Dental Hygientists’ Association and the Nebraska Dental Assistants’ Association.

According to statistics provided by the National Crime Information Center and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a child is reported missing every 43 seconds in the United States, and the CHIP program was introduced to help in locating a missing child.

Kimball County Sheriff Harry Gillway states that their department was not asked to be involved in the upcoming event, but stated that they would help support the cause in any way they could.

“Anything to help keep children safe, or be able to identify children later on in a case, I am in support of,” Gillway said.