Shell Houston Open

Nothing could be worse for a parent than to have a child suddenly disappear. The nightmare is a growing concern that is drawning national attention.

In an effort to address the situation and assist in locating missing children, Shell Oil Products and
Motiva Enterprises LLC is actively continuing a relationship with Child Watch of North America.

More than 7,500 Shell and Texaco stations across the United States lend support to the national partnership with Child Watch in various ways. They host Kidguard Safety Events, which provide fingerprinting and identification services to children. The stations also display posters and other materials around the station and gas pumps with missing children's pictures, vital statistics and other information about the abductions in order to increase awareness in the community.

During Friday, Saturday and Sunday this week, you also can go to Shellville tent near the entrance to the Shell Houston Open between 11 am and 3 pm to enroll your child in the Child Watch for free and receive the fingerprinting and ID materials.

In addition, stations distribute safety tip cards for parents to use when talking with children about being approached by strangers.

"One in six missing children are recovered because someone recognized a missing child's picture. Just imagine what additional outlets can do to help recovery efforts when a child goes missing," said Don Wood, chief executive officer of Child Watch. "The Shell and Texaco retailers and wholesalers have made a sizable commitment to the Child Watch organization, and we appreciate and look forward to working with them on this worthy cause."

Founded in 1992, Child Watch North America is a national non-profit organization working to help keep children safe and to find those that are missing

Based on U.S. Department of Justice research, nearly 800,000 children are reported missing annually at an alarming rate of 2,000 each day.

While not associated with Child Watch, PGA TOUR member Briny Baird is also doing his part to find missing kids while at the Shell Houston Open.

He will display a digital image of a child who has gone missing from the area where the tournament is being played. Underneath the photo is the number to call -- 1-800-THE-LOST -- if someone recognizes the child or has information to share.

"It just struck a chord with us," Baird told PGATOUR.COM. "It's not only the right thing to do,
it's a good thing to do." Created by Cannon U.S.A., Canon4kids is a collaborative effort with Baird and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).

An additional component of the project is tied directly to Baird performance on the course. For each
birdie he records, Canon will donate $100 to the NCMEC and kick in $250 for an eagle and $1,000 for a hole-in-one.

This week at the Shell Houston Open, the digital image on Baird's bag shows Laura Ayala. Laura was 13 years old when she left her Houston apartment on March 10, 2002 to buy a newspaper at a service station behind the apartment complex. Her mother found the girl's shoes and a newspaper on the street near the service station.

With efforts like those put forth by Shell Oil and Baird, hopefully, Laura and many others will be found and returned home.