What would you do if you suddenly – and unexpectedly – found yourself separated from your child?
NOT FOUND: kids id.jpgThe thought is not a pleasant one, for sure. Do you know what information you would need to supply to the officials to assist them with being able to quickly locate your child? Do you carry a recent photograph of your child with you wherever you go? Do you have anything in your possession that would give clear fingerprints or a DNA sample of your child? These are just some of the things that Chuck & Sara Gordon of the Rio Linda/Elverta Lions Club are willing and able to help you with. Chuck Gordon has worked with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department to come up with a list of vital information with steps to take if parents become separated from their child or are otherwise unable to locate them in a reasonable amount of time; as well as safety tips to establish between parent and child. The program that was developed is called Kid’s ID.
Here’s how the free of charge Kid’s ID program works: Parents/Grandparents/Guardians simply allow Chuck to take a digital picture of their child. He plugs his camera into a color printer, while you wait, and prints a portfolio that includes that picture and a series of questions for you to answer on your own time. Just as a note, no personal information, including the name of the child, is collected by Chuck or Sara. There are no databases kept by anyone, so the parent is the only one who has the identifying information of the child. Once Chuck has printed the form, Sara then assists the child with placing their thumbprints on the same form. The portfolio is then handed over to the adult that is accompanying the child. The digital photo is immediately erased and the caregivers are instructed to complete the requested information on the card and to keep it in a safe, handy place such as the glove compartment of their vehicle.
One of the easiest, and most convenient ways, to allow the Gordons to provide this much needed service for your family, is to stop by the HomeTown Buffet at the corner of Watt Avenue and Antelope Road on the first Thursday of the month. Every Thursday is family night at HomeTown Buffet, but only on the first one of the month will you have the privilege of meeting Chuck and Sara Gordon. The Gordons are in the restaurant to serve you from 4:00-8:00pm.
Kid’s ID is based on a program that was originally introduced at local health fairs by the Masons. In 2001, Frank Porter, who was at that time, Superintendent of the Rio Linda School District, asked the Rio Linda/Elverta Lions Club if they could produce a similar program for the school district. They agreed and Chuck Gordon produced the Lions Club version of the program. The Masons still operate their program at events that take place east of Watt Avenue, while the Lions Club is responsible for area that is west of Watt. In 2007, the Rio Linda Chamber of Commerce joined the sponsorship of the program to assist with expansion of the territory. Whenever the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department is having a kids’ day event, they contact Chuck to be on hand to provide this service that they are 100% in favor of.
To date, Chuck, Sara and the Rio Linda/Elverta Lions Club, in conjunction with the Rio Linda Chamber of Commerce, have provided this service to more than 10,374 children! When asked why Chuck and Sara volunteer their time to do this, Chuck replied, “We like working with kids. It keeps us a little younger. Just sitting at home, you can get old really quick.”
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon have been married for 45 years and have been members of the Lions Club since the early '90s. Chuck has received several awards from Lions International including the Distinguished Service Award in appreciation for his service with the Kid’s ID program. Any organization that would like to start offering the Kid’s ID program in their area is encouraged to contact Chuck Gordon at 916-991-2605. Also, don’t hesitate to contact Chuck if you are having a gathering of any sort that will have a minimum of 15 kids present, and would like to offer the ID service. Again, there is no charge for the service to be provided. All costs are supported by the Rio Linda/Elverta Lions Club and the Rio Linda Chamber of Commerce.
While it is the sincerest hope of all concerned that these portfolios never need leave the glove compartment of your car, they are invaluable if the need should ever arise to have the photo and information available at a moment’s notice. As Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. How much better to have information that you don’t need than to desperately need information you don’t readily have available? The whole ID process takes only about two minutes per child.
For more information on the Kid’s ID program, please call the Gordons at (916) 992-6133. August 6, 4:00-8:00 p.m. is when you’ll be able to next see Chuck and Sara Gordon, along with HomeTown Buffet manager Ray Ruiz. Make plans to get your Kid’s ID portfolio done and have a great meal all at the same time. Family Nights offer 99¢ kids’ meals with the purchase of a full-price adult dinner buffet.