SILVERBACKS ANNOUNCE TEAMUP FOR MISSING CHILDREN FUNDRAISER EVENT

 Event Will Benefit National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and be held following Oct. 12 game vs. Minnesota United

 

The Silverbacks, North American Soccer League’s Spring Season Champions, have announced that the club will host a sleepover fundraising event to benefit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Saturday, Oct. 12, at Atlanta Silverbacks Park. The “TeamUP for Missing Children” fundraiser will begin immediately following the game with the Minnesota United and concludeSunday morning, Oct. 13 at 6 a.m.

 

“We are thrilled to host the first event of this kind with the National Center and bring to light such a critical issue in our communities locally and nationally,” Silverbacks General Manager Andy Smith said. “As a father, I know that protecting our children is crucial for our future, and we hope this event can raise money and bring awareness to children in our communities who need our help the most.” 

“There are up to 2,000 children reported missing every day in the United States,” said John Ryan, CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. “This event is for them, to show they are not forgotten and to help bring them home. We are grateful to the Atlanta Silverbacks and their fans for supporting our work to find missing children and prevent the abduction and sexual exploitation of children.”

 

On-field festivities are planned for the 10-hour sleepover at Silverbacks Park, including movies on a pop-up screen on the field, games, soccer inflatables and appearances from Silverbacks players and coaches. An area on the field will be reserved for participants who would like to sleep during the course of the night and guests are encouraged to bring blankets and sleeping bags. Food and drink will be provided.

Participate must register at http://www.firstgiving.com/teamup/silverbacks. The online registration site allows participants to set up a fundraising page of their own, through which they can contact friends and family to ask for donations. Donors can go directly to the fundraising page and make a donation online. Participants are asked to set a goal of raising $500 each for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, but they must raise a minimum of $50 in order to attend the event on Oct. 12. Children are encouraged to participate but must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the event.

 

About the National Center for Missing for Missing & Exploited Children

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1984.  Designated by Congress to serve as the nation’s clearinghouse on issues related to missing and exploited children, the organization operates the toll-free 24-hour national missing children’s hotline which has handled more than 3,810,000 calls.  It has assisted law enforcement in the recovery of more than 188,000 children.  The organization’s CyberTipline has handled more than 2,097,000 reports of child sexual exploitation and its Child Victim Identification Program has reviewed and analyzed more than 95,990,000 child pornography images and videos.  The organization works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.  To learn more about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or visit its web site atwww.missingkids.com. Follow NCMEC on Twitter and like NCMEC on Facebook.