Jamie Lee Curtis Arrives in Motor City to Drive Ford's 'Commitment to Kids'

DEARBORN, Mich., April 25 Actress Jamie Lee Curtis is being welcomed today at Ford Division headquarters to help focus attention on the issue of missing children -- on a day when Ford employees are celebrating their own.

Curtis is making the appearance to launch Ford's ``Commitment to Kids'' program -- a national child identification effort that aims to reduce the number of missing children -- on ``Take Your Child to Work Day.''

The Commitment to Kids program is a second-year partnership among Blue Oval Certified Ford dealers, Curtis and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

As part of the day's activities, Curtis and Jim O'Connor, Ford group vice president for North American Marketing Sales and Service, will welcome employees and address the children about safety. Also participating in the event will be Dearborn Mayor Michael A. Guido and Police Chief Greg Guibord.

Along with entertainment for the children, parents will receive free safety I.D. kits, including photographs and fingerprints of their child.

From April 25 through May 5, Detroit-area parents can bring their children to participating Blue Oval Certified Ford dealerships and receive the free child safety ID kits.

``Blue Oval Certification signifies a Ford dealer's commitment to serve customers,'' said Jim O'Connor. ``The Commitment to Kids program is a unique way our dealers are serving their communities.''

The national program launched April 9 at New York's FBI headquarters as Ford and Curtis hosted an event reuniting recovered missing children with the law enforcement officers who found them.

``Helping Ford dealers spread the word about child safety and draw attention to the staggering number of children reported missing each year really has hit home for me,'' said Curtis. ``As a parent, I'm proud to be part of this effort to protect kids -- our most valuable asset.''

Statistics indicate that more than one third of parents do not know their child's exact height, weight and eye color -- information critical to expediting the return of a missing child. Each child's physical description information will be recorded in the ID kit along with a photograph and set of fingerprints.

According to FBI data, missing children reports in 2001 dropped to 725,000 -- about 2,000 per day -- the lowest annual total in a decade. More than 13,000 children were reported missing in the state of Michigan -- nearly 1,000 kids from the Detroit area.

Statistics show that community education and prevention programs, like Commitment to Kids, help reduce the number of missing children.

Last summer, Blue Oval Certified Ford dealers distributed more than 450,000 child ID kits nationwide. Ford expects that number to reach nearly one million this year.

Ford's Blue Oval Certified program helps ensure customers receive a best- in-class dealership experience. Certified dealers must meet stringent customer satisfaction criteria and demonstrate processes that deliver convenient customer service. Since launching the program, Ford's customer sales satisfaction has increased 19 percent and service satisfaction is up 13 percent.

Note: Nationally, the Commitment to Kids program runs through June 16. For dates and dealer locations of Commitment to Kids events, parents can call 1-866-BLUEOVAL or log onto www.blueoval.fordvehicles.com .