Polly Klaas Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Polly Klaas Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity organization devoted to preventing crimes against children, assisting in the recovery of missing children, and lobbying for legislative assistance. The foundation was formed October 23, 1993 to search for Polly Klaas. Its executive director is Robert De Leo. It has expanded its mission and now searches for many missing children.
The Polly Klaas Foundation also provides kits for parents to teach abduction prevention in a way that they claim isn't scary for kids. It distributes over 100,000 of these kits per year
The Polly Klaas Foundation worked with Convio
to send targeted letters to stand and federal officials to implement Amber Alert
s in all 50 states.
Marc Klaas, Polly's father, is not associated with this foundation. However, Polly's mother, Eve Nichol, serves on the board.
The Polly Klaas Foundation also provides kits for parents to teach abduction prevention in a way that they claim isn't scary for kids. It distributes over 100,000 of these kits per year
The Polly Klaas Foundation worked with Convio
Convio
Convio is a software company based in Austin, Texas in the USA, with offices in Washington, DC and Emeryville, CA. Convio provides internet marketing and business management applications tailored specifically for non-profit organizations, and virtually all of its customers are charities,...
to send targeted letters to stand and federal officials to implement Amber Alert
AMBER Alert
An AMBER Alert or a Child Abduction Emergency is a child abduction alert bulletin in several countries throughout the world, issued upon the suspected abduction of a child, since 1996...
s in all 50 states.
Marc Klaas, Polly's father, is not associated with this foundation. However, Polly's mother, Eve Nichol, serves on the board.
History
The Polly Klaas Foundation was created initially to search for Polly Klaas. After two years, the executive director, Gary Kinley, resigned with no explanation, and there was an analysis of financial problems in 1996. The Polly Klaas Foundation has since recovered and learned a lot about fundraising. It has drastically increased its operating budget.Internet Predators
Part of the modernization of the Polly Klaas Foundation is its focus on internet safety. The Polly Klaas Foundation encourages parents to follow three steps:- Learn the internet with your child and become familiar with what the dangers are
- Create expectations that you're going to monitor your child's internet activity
- Let your children know that no matter what happens they can come to you if they get into trouble on the internet
KlaasKids Foundation
The KlaasKids Foundation was founded in 1994 in order to help prevent crimes against children. That foundation is directed by, and is the official organization representing the opinions of, Polly's father, Marc Klaas. Klaas formed the new foundation to permit him to engage in advocacy for stronger sentences for violent offenders, which the Polly Klaas Foundation is prohibited from doing.Children
The featured children by the Polly Klaas Foundation that are missing include:- Jacob WetterlingJacob WetterlingJacob Erwin Wetterling is a boy from St. Joseph, Minnesota who was kidnapped from his hometown at the age of 11 on Sunday, October 22, 1989...
- Kiplyn DavisKiplyn DavisKiplyn Davis was a 15-year-old high school student who was reported missing on May 2, 1995 in Spanish Fork, Utah. She is a featured child on the Polly Klaas Foundation.Davis, a sophomore, was last seen at Spanish Fork High School...
- Jessica Cain
- Erica Fraysure
- Jennipher Gingery
- Kasey Shepard
See also
- Megan Nicole Kanka FoundationMegan Nicole Kanka FoundationThe Megan Nicole Kanka Foundation is a non-profit charity founded by the family of Megan Kanka with the intent of preventing crimes against children....
- Laura Recovery CenterLaura Recovery CenterThe Laura Recovery Center exists to prevent abductions and runaways and to recover missing children by fostering a Triangle of Trust among law enforcement, communities and a missing child's families. The center is headquartered in Friendswood, Texas, United States...
, Samantha RunnionSamantha RunnionSamantha Bree Runnion was an American murder victim. She was born in Massachusetts and was a resident of Stanton, California.-Kidnapping and murder:... - Elizabeth SmartElizabeth Smart kidnappingThe kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart occurred on June 5, 2002, when 14-year-old American girl Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her Salt Lake City, Utah, bedroom...
- Dru SjodinDru SjodinDru Katrina Sjodin , a student of the University of North Dakota and a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority, was a murder victim...
- Dr. Chris HatcherChris Hatcher (psychologist)Chris Hatcher, Ph.D., was a clinical psychologist at the University of California at San Francisco who was an expert in police and forensic psychology. He dedicated his professional life to the study of violence and its prevention. He died unexpectedly at the age of 52.-Workplace violence:Dr...
- profiler of violence