105 Teachers Honored for Dedication to Child Safety

MORRIS TOWNSHIP, N.J., May 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Honeywell and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children(R) (NCMEC) today announced the winners of the third annual Got 2B Safe! Awards Program that recognizes teachers committed to keeping children safer from abduction and sexual exploitation. This year, the program honors 105 teachers from 30 states, including five Grand Prize winners that have created effective techniques to teach children the important safety rules in the Got 2B Safe! Program.

"It is critically important that we do everything we can to protect our nation's children from abduction and exploitation," said Tom Buckmaster, president, Honeywell Hometown Solutions. "Honeywell has a long standing commitment to family safety and security, and we are thrilled to honor these teachers for their efforts to provide life-saving lessons to their students."

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 797,500 children (younger than 18) were reported missing during a one-year period of time, resulting in an average of 2,185 children reported missing each day. Though many of these children are recovered quickly, these staggering numbers highlight the need for increased child safety programming in our schools.

In 2003, Honeywell and NCMEC created the Got 2B Safe! program to arm teachers, parents and children with vital child safety skills. This year, five Grand Prize winners will receive a free classroom makeover from a professional designer valued at $10,000, and 100 First Prize winners will receive $500 worth of school supplies. To enter, teachers submitted a lesson plan or essay demonstrating how they taught the Got 2B Safe! Four Rules of Safety.

The five Grand Prize winners include: -- Vanessa Halliday, Middletown, CA - Halliday applied the Got 2B Safe! Four Rules of Safety in the classroom through creating a skit and song preformed at a school assembly. The performance was video-taped for future school presentations. The chorus of the song is "Got 2B Safe, Got 2B Strong, Got 2 Think Smart, Got 2 Take Care of my Body." -- Jessica Beamon, Bowie, MD - Beamon created the character Safety Sam to explain the Got 2B Safe! Four Rules of Safety through rhythm and rhyme. Safety Sam teaches children that "to grow into the best person you can be, you've gotta live your life thinking safely." Sam sings "If you follow these rules, I can promise one thing, you'll be happy with the peace and comfort safety brings." -- Kathy Ahrndt, Benson, MN - Ahrndt created an educational game based on the popular show "Deal or No Deal" that teaches students the Got 2B Safe! Four Rules of Safety. Students apply the Four Rules to scenarios that are written inside black "briefcases" to determine whether the actions are a "deal" or "no deal." For example, one briefcase states "A friend invited me over after school, and I decided to go because my parents are at work and won't miss me." In this case, the students would respond, "no deal!" -- Richard E. McCoy, Laquey, MO - McCoy planned a "Got 2B Safe!-ty Fair" in his classroom. To prepare for the fair, his students learned the Got 2B Safe! Four Rules of Safety and incorporated these rules into posters, bookmarks, poems, raps and skits. The students presented these materials to K-5 special education students, families and faculty. Following the fair, Richard took digital photos of each student, who then created a "Got 2B Safe!" laminated mini-poster to bring home. -- Jennifer Atkinson, Austin, TX - Atkinson created a program that incorporates the Got 2B Safe! Four Rules of Safety into her lessons throughout the school year. Multiple activities, including daily discussions, creative projects like writing songs and designing posters and books, as well as role playing, build comprehension so students are comfortable and knowledgeable about when and how to use the rules.

"The importance of arming our educators, parents and guardians and ultimately, children with child safety tools cannot be underestimated," said Ernie Allen, president and CEO, NCMEC. "We believe that teaching children about personal safety should be a top priority for everyone, and we are excited to partner with Honeywell on this important program that recognizes these exceptional educators."

"Having the opportunity to see the work that Honeywell and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children do and the opportunities they provide for those of us in the educational field firsthand, has given me a renewed focus," said Deb Amenrud, 2007 Grand Prize winner. "I vow to continue my campaign as an advocate for child safety."

The Got 2B Safe! Program provides four simple rules for children to follow with the help of their families and teachers. Additional information is available at http://www.got2bsafe.com/.

Got 2B Safe! Four Rules of Safety:

1. Check First -- Children should always check with parents and guardians before accepting gifts, rides or invitations from anyone, including friends, acquaintances and people they don't know.

2. Go With a Friend -- Simple and straightforward -- never go anywhere alone. Being with another person in public is safer and more fun.

3. It's My Body -- Teach your children they have the right to say NO to any unwelcome, uncomfortable, or confusing touch or actions by others.

4. Tell a Trusted Adult -- Teach your children to TELL a trusted adult -- parent, guardian, teacher, etc. -- if anyone or anything makes them feel scared, uncomfortable or confused.

Honeywell received the 2005 Department of Justice Corporate Leadership Award for its partnership with NCMEC and the Got 2B Safe! program. Honeywell's Family Safety & Security programs have reached an estimated five million children around the world.

The Got 2B Safe! program is part of Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the company's corporate citizenship initiative, which focuses on four areas: Family Safety & Security; Housing & Shelter; Science & Math Education and Humanitarian Relief. Together with leading public and non-profit institutions, Honeywell has developed powerful programs to address these needs in the communities it serves. For more information, please go to http://www.honeywell.com/hhs.

Honeywell International is a $37 billion diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell's shares are traded on the New York, London and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For additional information, please visit http://www.honeywell.com/

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, that works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. NCMEC's congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting mechanism for child sexual exploitation, has handled more than 570,000 leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 140,900 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 124,500 children. For more information about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24 hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site at http://www.missingkids.com/.