Lake Mary Couple Launches Digikids� Franchise

Jennifer and Thad Hawkes have opened the newest office of DIGIKIDS�, the fast-growing business dedicated to putting parents in full control of their child's safety in the event the child is missing or abducted.

The Hawkeses' business, based in Lake Mary and operating in Lake, Orange, and Seminole counties, is the third DIGIKIDS franchise in Florida and the 26th franchise nationally. DIGIKIDS creates child safety CDs that allow parents to quickly provide law enforcement officials, the media, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), and other agencies with key information about the child to speed recovery.

The CD contains two high-resolution digital photos along with medical and identifying information. It is designed to be carried with a parent at all times, so that if the child is missing, the parent can use the CD in any computer to immediately print "missing child" posters and flyers and, if necessary, e-mail it instantly.

What makes DIGIKIDS different is how it empowers parents in the event their child is missing. When DIGIKIDS creates the child safety CD and gives it to the parent, it is the only copy of the information. DIGIKIDS keeps none of the child's information in any computer or database, so it can never fall into the wrong hands. Thad and Jennifer Hawkes will visit daycares, schools, churches, and community events in their three-county service area to create the DIGIKIDS Child Safety ID kits, a process that only takes two minutes, for a nominal fee.

"If a child is missing, it is the first 20 minutes that matter the most," said Michael J. Childs, founder of DIGIKIDS. "Immediate access to a good photo of the child and an accurate description are critical. With a DIGIKIDS Child Safety ID kit, which includes a CD and ID card, a parent can keep that kind of information always available, which will help authorities do their job and reunite the child with his or her parents." "With the number of families living here in central Florida, and the growing number of families relocating here, we look forward to teaching people just what DIGIKIDS is all about and how it can aid their children's safety," said Thad Hawkes.

"We wanted a business that would let us do something to provide real value to the community, and DIGIKIDS does that." More than 2,200 children are reported to police as lost or missing each day in the United States. Many of those children are found safe within hours, but no matter how short a time a child may be missing, it is an agonizing experience for a parent. That was the genesis for Childs' founding of DIGIKIDS.

"We developed a system that helps parents take the most effective action as soon as possible to find and recover their children," Childs explained. "Instead of panicking in those first minutes, they can immediately put the DIGIKIDS Child Safety ID kit to work to help find their child, greatly increasing the chances of a safe recovery." About DIGIKIDS Founded in 2003, DIGIKIDS delivers peace of mind with the most advanced and effective child safety ID available today. The company's representatives create a CD and ID card in about two minutes, with the only copy of any of the information given immediately to the parents. The CD contains photos of the child, physical description and medical information that is vital in an emergency. For more information about DIGIKIDS or about franchise opportunities, visit www.digikids-id.com or call 888-DIGIKIDS.

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