Zarrin Tasnim, 15, Toronto. Sandra Heppell-Williams, 13, Montreal. Skylar Payment, 16, Winnipeg. Braydon Gibson, 17, Saskatoon.
These are but four names of tens of thousands of children who have been reported missing in Canada in the last few months alone. In 2013, there were 41,035 reports of missing children in Canada (as reported by the RCMP.) It's something we never want to think about as parents, but the reality is that sometimes, more often than any of us would like to imagine, kids dissappear. While we all can do our part to share this information across Facebook and the country, at the end of the day we all wish there was a way to bring these kids home and prevent future children from ever being abducted, running away or worse.
Toronto-based company Security Blanket is trying to do just that! Security Blanket is the world's first crowd-sourced "Network of Smart Devices" dedicated to finding missing people in emergency situations. Made up of two parts: an app and a device, Security Blanket hopes to help locate children that go missing or could be in serious danger. Not only can you locate your child's device using the app, but thanks to the miracle that is crowd-sourcing, the more people who have the app on their devices, the stronger the signal and the faster not-so-nearby devices can be found. Even people who don't have children, or who don't need the security device can download the app to help locate missing children in their area. You can learn more about how Security Blanket works here.
Currently part of a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign, Security Blanket hopes to raise $215,000 (or more) to help manufacture and market this amazing technology to ensure its success. As a parent, I know that when it comes to the safety of my children I want to do everything that I can (within reason) to keep them safe, I'm certain that a revolutionary device (and app) like Security Blanket will be making its way to our home as soon as possible! Security Blanket will only be funded if the full amount of $215K is pledged by October 16th, so be sure to pledge before then if you believe in the project.
What do you think about an app to help locate not only your own children, but potentially help locate other missing children in your area? Would you use it? Will you download the app? Are you willing to pledge? Let's talk about it in the comments below!
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