While at the annual BlogHer conference in NYC, I had the distinct privilege of having dinner with the folks from Tavern Direct and The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
More on Tavern Direct in a second but first I want to share with you some more downright scary and eye opening statistics about our children and their safety:
- 2,000 children are reported missing everyday. {yes, you read that right! 2,000 children A DAY}
- 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys will be sexually victimized before adulthood. {I am a statistic in this area and the effects of sexual abuse lead to many more dangerous and hurtful issues throughout a person’s life}
- As many as 100,000 registered sex offenders are “lost” in the system, their whereabouts unknown.
- 1 in 7 children using the Internet receive sexual solicitations in a single year. {do you monitor what your child does online?}
- 58,000 children are victims of non-family abductions each year.
I could go on. But, I can’t. These statistics make my heart hurt. And, as a mama of three, they scare me. People don’t want to talk about these facts because they are uncomfortable and we don’t like to be reminded that bad things happen EVERY DAY. This is unacceptable. Parents need to WAKE up and become educated about the very real dangers out there facing our children. Pretending these issues don’t exist will not make them go away.
I am so thankful for agencies like The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and companies like Tavern Direct that are willing to tackle these serious issues in order to keep our children safe!
So, what is Tavern Direct? Tavern Direct is a company offering the taste of the infamous Tavern on the Green in sauces, marinades, {absolutely heavenly} balsamic vinegars and flavored oils. When you make a purchase from Tavern Direct, they donate 50 cents per bottle to the NCMEC. A win-win situation for sure! 
The statistics are staggering, the threat to our children is real but we are not powerless. There are steps we can take to protect our children and simple things, like supporting Tavern Direct, that protects children across America.
Until September 5, 2010 you can enter the promotion code “BLOGGERS” at checkout on the Tavern Direct site and receive 20% off your next purchase at Tavern Direct.com.
Thank you to Tavern Direct and NCMEC for providing an absolutely delicious dinner {where I got to sample the scrumptious balsamic vinegars in their product line} and more importantly, for providing me the opportunity to work on such an important cause! Statistics in this post are courtesy of NCMEC.
What do you do to keep your kids safe?
And, as always if you have a post about parenting teens/tweens please link it up below!
