2009 seems to have been an epic year on many levels. Change seemed to be on everyone's lips. At the same time while the world seemed to celebrate advancement, 2009 was a year of unparalleled tragedy in the lives of many children.

Stories about children like Shaniya Davis,  Elizabeth Olten and Derrion Albert made the news on an almost daily basis. I reflected on the horrific deaths of children in a post that I wrote this year entitled, "A Poem for Shaniya...and victims like her."

Although, there was one spot of uplifting news: the return of Jaycee Duggar after 18 years of captivity at the hands of a preadtor. Even with that in mind though, our children...regardless of age, race and locality are losing their lives needlessly at the hands of friends, family, predators and peers.

1. Read the National Alert Registry's 10 Rules for Protecting Your Children from Registered Child Offenders for a list of safety measures that can be taken to help to ensure your child's safety.

2. Search the The US Department of Justice's The Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website which is a national database of registered sex offenders to be aware of potential predators in your area.

3.  Visit these great sites for more information on how you can protect your children as well as help find missing ones.

Amber Alert
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
American Humane

Thanks for reading,