www.hope4themissing.org
20 Prospect Street
Ballston Spa, NY 12020
Phone and Fax: 518-884-8761
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
4TH
ANNUAL NEW YORK STATE MISSING PERSONS DAY – APRIL 10, 2005
LATHAM, NY --- The Center for Hope will bring together people who
have been affected by an unexplained disappearance of a loved one at the 4th
Annual New York State Missing Persons Day on April 10, 2005. Families and friends from New
York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Texas, Nebraska, Germany as well as teachers,
neighbors, law enforcement professionals, and others will meet from 1PM – 4 PM
at New York State Nurses Association Convention Center, 11 Cornell Road,
Latham, NY.
Missing Persons
Day, as proclaimed by Governor George Pataki, is a special day to provide an
opportunity for those affected by the pain surrounding the ambiguous loss of a
loved one, to reflect, remember, and to join with others to honor all missing
persons. The Center for HOPE was co- founded by Doug and Mary Lyall, parents of
Suzanne Lyall, who has been missing since March 2, 1998. The Center for Hope is a not-for profit
organization, with a mission to assist families who have been faced with the
heartaches and challenges of having a loved one that is missing.
The annual HOPE awards, recognizing outstanding work and
contributions in creating awareness and locating missing persons in New York
State is presented during the Missing Persons Day agenda. Last year United States Congressman John
Sweeney, a native of the Capital District and a bright star in Washington,
accepted the first award. After his acceptance, Congressman Sweeney announced
that he would be introducing a bill, “The Suzanne Lyall Campus Safety Act”
during the spring session. The bill is fashioned after the NYS Campus Safety
Act that was passed in 2000. The second award was presented to Frank Williams,
from Utica, NY. Frank is the father of a child who was missing for a period of
time and fortunately returned safety. The award recognizes his wonderful
support of affected families and his coordination of The Ride for Missing
Children, a yearly fundraising and awareness event that would not happen
without Frank’s leadership.
A major current project of The
Center for Hope is to raise awareness and funds to build the missing person
‘Remorial’ in Albany. People who have
missing persons need a place to remember, grieve, and heal. The Remorial will serve this purpose. The site for the ‘Remorial,’ which is a made
up term combining the words “remember” and “memorial” has already been secured
near the corner of Swan St. and Madison Ave. in Albany, the Capital of the
State of New York. The New York State
Remorial to Missing Persons it is believed to be the first of its kind in the
entire US. There are over 4000 persons
missing in NYS. .
The web site for The Center for
Hope is http://www.hope4themissing.org.
-end-
Media Contacts: Doug
and Mary Lyall 518-885-1331 or 518
884-8761