In 1982, President Reagan proclaimed May 25 as National Missing Children�s Day to raise public awareness about missing children and emphasize the importance of responding to this problem. Families, friends, communities across the nation, and representatives from public agencies and private organizations come together on this special day to honor missing children, commemorate the safe return of others, and reaffirm a commitment to working in concert to bring missing children home.

OJJDP and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) are marking the 20th anniversary of National Missing Children�s Day with a ceremony at the U.S. Department of Justice�s Hall of Justice in Washington, DC, on May 23. For almost two decades, OJJDP and NCMEC have worked together to serve, support, and encourage families searching for their lost loved ones. To date, NCMEC has received more than 1.6 million hotline calls, assisted in the recovery of 63,432 children, and disseminated millions of publications covering issues relating to missing and exploited children.

Attendees at the ceremony will include children who were missing and have been reunited with their families, parents of children who are still missing, law enforcement officers who investigate these cases, child advocates, and individuals and corporate sponsors dedicated to reuniting families. Awards will be presented to the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, the Corporate Sponsor of the Year, and the Volunteer of the Year. This year�s logo was based on the 2001 winning poster, which was designed by Kaiya Anderson, Sartell Middle School, Sartell, Minnesota.