Masonic Child Identification Programs (CHIP) are a charitable initiative by

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

Masonic Freemasonry or Masonry refers to Fraternity, fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of Stonemasonry, stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their inte ...

lodges to aid in the identification and recovery of

missing children A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, de ...

. CHIP programs are supported monetarily at the

Grand Lodge A Grand Lodge (or Grand Orient or other similar title) is the overarching governing body of a fraternal or other similarly organized group in a given area, usually a city, state, or country. In Freemasonry A Grand Lodge or Grand Orient is the us ...

level, and are staffed by volunteers from subordinate lodges as well as law enforcement and dental professionals. The CHIP programs allow parents the opportunity to create a kit of identifying materials for their child, free of charge. The kit contains a fingerprint card, a physical description, a VHS tape, computer disk, or DVD of the child, a dental imprint, and a DNA sample. The purpose of the kit is to provide critical information to the public and to law enforcement in the event that a child is reported missing. The program has been lauded by the

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a private, nonprofit organization established in 1984 by the United States Congress. In September 2013, the United States House of Representatives, United States Senate, and the Pres ...

.Mann ,Jennifer
"Masons donates wheelchair equipped vehicle to Quincy schools"
''The Patriot Ledger'', June 21, 2008. Accessed June 23, 2008. The VHS tape or DVD, besides a video capturing appearance and voice, includes data tailored to the child's age group that can assist in finding children who might be missing for reasons besides abduction. The Masonic Child ID Program has been referenced by state and local law enforcement agencies as their model for establishing this service. The difference between Masonic CHIP and others is that municipal and law enforcement agencies typically place all data that is collected (including fingerprints) into a database. The Masonic Child ID Program operates with strict confidentiality, with all data on portable computers being removed from systems immediately after the DVD data has been written. If the DVD or VHS tape is lost, a parent or guardian must attend another Masonic Child ID event to obtain a new copy.

References

External links

MasoniCHIP National website
Child safety Freemasonry {{Freemasonry-stub