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Ed Smart and Ahmad Rivazfar, whose children were victims in high profile cases, stopped at Hayward Elementary Friday as part of their bike trip across the country to advocate for the protection of children.
The bike ride is an awareness and fundraising campaign for the Surviving Parents Coalition (SPC) child advocacy initiatives.
Ed’s daughter Elizabeth was abducted from her bedroom in the summer of 2002 and was held for nine months until someone recognized her with the help of high profile national press.
Smart told the Nebraska City students that the experience with Elizabeth changed his mindset. “You start thinking in terms of, “What’s going to keep me safe?” he said.
Smart shared principles of the radKIDS program, a children’s safety education and violence prevention organization that provides a curriculum to schools.
“Nobody has the right to hurt you because you’re special,” “You don’t have the right to hurt anyone else or yourself,” and “It’s not your fault” are main principles of the program. He and Rivazfar, who, like Smart, has six children, shared safety tips with the students, including biking and Internet safety.
“Be prepared, not scared,” Smart told them.
Following the presentation, Smart and Rivazfar shared with the News-Press how their personal experiences have motivated them to promote awareness and safety. Smart said one in four girls and one in ten boys have experienced molestation or assault by the age of 14. “We need to make a change and stop the cycle of violence,” he said. He called his daughter’s return on March 12, 2003, “an incredible blessing to our family” and said he wanted to help give children a set of skills that will help prevent other families from going through the same nightmare that his experienced.
Ahmad’s daughters were abducted 22 years ago on Sept. 22, the ride’s finale date. One of his daughters died after being attacked. He said the incident left “a life of pain and scars to overcome” for the surviving daughter.
Rivazfar said radical change is needed in order to keep kids safe. “We can’t keep doing the same thing and expect a different result,” he said.
Rivazfar said bike rides have proven to be a good way to get a message across. “I’ve been part of many charity rides. Rides are very impactful. Riding is just a vehicle to get the word out,” he said.
Mark Lundsford joins them on motorcycle. Mark’s daughter, Jessica, was abducted and murdered in Florida in 2005.
Other cyclists are welcome to join in on the 3,500-mile journey, which travels through 12 states and 26 cities. The awareness campaign, “Ride for Their Lives,” seeks to increase public knowledge and raise $1,000,000 to help advocate for laws that protect children and fight to eradicate predatory crimes nationwide.
The purpose of this month-long journey is to focus on four main legislative issues surrounding child abuse and abduction cases: DNA collection on felony arrest, not just on felony conviction; Protect our Children Act of 2008 – a law that gives more resources to the investigation and interdiction of child pornography and exploitation cases; The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, and the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act set minimum standards for a national sex offender’s registration and notification system; and “Not ONE More Child” – a child safety education initiative that educates and empowers children to recognize, avoid, resist, and escape dangerous situations and violence including bullying, assault, abuse and abduction.
Currently in Nebraska it is not required to collect DNA upon felony arrest. Presently, there are 16,480 known sex offenders in the state of Nebraska and 13,361 personal computers that have been identified trading child pornography in a 48 hour period.
Rivazfar and Smart also stopped at the Capitol Building in Lincoln to meet guests and share information on how to protect children. From Lincoln, Smart, Rivazfar and Lundsford rode to Salina, Kan.
The Surviving Parents Coalition consists of 43 members, and is made up of parents of children who were abducted, sexually assaulted, murdered, recovered or are still missing. These parents do not want to see what happened to their children happen to one more child. They have banded together from all parts of the country and all walks of life to make a difference for our nation’s children.
Through legislative efforts, SPC aims to significantly improve public awareness about prevention as well as legislative progress, facilitate hands-on safety education in schools for children through young adults and promote best practices for law enforcement and communities in responding to predatory crimes.
During the stops in Nebraska City and Lincoln, Rivazfar and Smart were joined by Jannel Rap. Rap’s life changed in 2000 the moment her sister, Gina Bos, vanished after a performance in Lincoln. Gina Bos remains missing. The Lincoln native is known for her song about growing up in the Cornhusker State called “Sea of Red.” This singer/songwriter is a member of the band Clementine, host of America Lost and Found, producer of Finding Gina and Founder of Gina for Missing Persons Foundation. Jannel Rap wrote the theme song for the “Ride.” Rap led the students in singing the song as the speakers arrived at Hayward. Rap has performed with her son, Elijah, and The St. Mark’s Children’s Choir.
In Lincoln, Rivazfar and Smart were also be joined by Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady, Nebraska Senator Bill Avery, Chief Deputy County Attorney Joe Kelly, The Child Advocacy Center, and Dr Tom Osborne’s TeamMates Mentoring Group.
Rivazfar, Smart and Lundsford began their ride on Aug. 21, in Rochester, N.Y. The “Ride” concludes on Sept. 22 in Los Angeles.
For more information, visit www.RideforTheirLives.com. More remarks from Smart and Rivazfar will soon be posted online at www.ncnewspress.com.
Ed Smart and Ahmad Rivazfar, whose children were victims in high profile cases, stopped at Hayward Elementary Friday as part of their bike trip across the country to advocate for the protection of children.
The bike ride is an awareness and fundraising campaign for the Surviving Parents Coalition (SPC) child advocacy initiatives.
Ed’s daughter Elizabeth was abducted from her bedroom in the summer of 2002 and was held for nine months until someone recognized her with the help of high profile national press.
Smart told the Nebraska City students that the experience with Elizabeth changed his mindset. “You start thinking in terms of, “What’s going to keep me safe?” he said.
Smart shared principles of the radKIDS program, a children’s safety education and violence prevention organization that provides a curriculum to schools.
“Nobody has the right to hurt you because you’re special,” “You don’t have the right to hurt anyone else or yourself,” and “It’s not your fault” are main principles of the program. He and Rivazfar, who, like Smart, has six children, shared safety tips with the students, including biking and Internet safety.
“Be prepared, not scared,” Smart told them.
Following the presentation, Smart and Rivazfar shared with the News-Press how their personal experiences have motivated them to promote awareness and safety. Smart said one in four girls and one in ten boys have experienced molestation or assault by the age of 14. “We need to make a change and stop the cycle of violence,” he said. He called his daughter’s return on March 12, 2003, “an incredible blessing to our family” and said he wanted to help give children a set of skills that will help prevent other families from going through the same nightmare that his experienced.
Ahmad’s daughters were abducted 22 years ago on Sept. 22, the ride’s finale date. One of his daughters died after being attacked. He said the incident left “a life of pain and scars to overcome” for the surviving daughter.
Rivazfar said radical change is needed in order to keep kids safe. “We can’t keep doing the same thing and expect a different result,” he said.
Rivazfar said bike rides have proven to be a good way to get a message across. “I’ve been part of many charity rides. Rides are very impactful. Riding is just a vehicle to get the word out,” he said.
Mark Lundsford joins them on motorcycle. Mark’s daughter, Jessica, was abducted and murdered in Florida in 2005.
Other cyclists are welcome to join in on the 3,500-mile journey, which travels through 12 states and 26 cities. The awareness campaign, “Ride for Their Lives,” seeks to increase public knowledge and raise $1,000,000 to help advocate for laws that protect children and fight to eradicate predatory crimes nationwide.
The purpose of this month-long journey is to focus on four main legislative issues surrounding child abuse and abduction cases: DNA collection on felony arrest, not just on felony conviction; Protect our Children Act of 2008 – a law that gives more resources to the investigation and interdiction of child pornography and exploitation cases; The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, and the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act set minimum standards for a national sex offender’s registration and notification system; and “Not ONE More Child” – a child safety education initiative that educates and empowers children to recognize, avoid, resist, and escape dangerous situations and violence including bullying, assault, abuse and abduction.
Currently in Nebraska it is not required to collect DNA upon felony arrest. Presently, there are 16,480 known sex offenders in the state of Nebraska and 13,361 personal computers that have been identified trading child pornography in a 48 hour period.
Rivazfar and Smart also stopped at the Capitol Building in Lincoln to meet guests and share information on how to protect children. From Lincoln, Smart, Rivazfar and Lundsford rode to Salina, Kan.
The Surviving Parents Coalition consists of 43 members, and is made up of parents of children who were abducted, sexually assaulted, murdered, recovered or are still missing. These parents do not want to see what happened to their children happen to one more child. They have banded together from all parts of the country and all walks of life to make a difference for our nation’s children.
Through legislative efforts, SPC aims to significantly improve public awareness about prevention as well as legislative progress, facilitate hands-on safety education in schools for children through young adults and promote best practices for law enforcement and communities in responding to predatory crimes.
During the stops in Nebraska City and Lincoln, Rivazfar and Smart were joined by Jannel Rap. Rap’s life changed in 2000 the moment her sister, Gina Bos, vanished after a performance in Lincoln. Gina Bos remains missing. The Lincoln native is known for her song about growing up in the Cornhusker State called “Sea of Red.” This singer/songwriter is a member of the band Clementine, host of America Lost and Found, producer of Finding Gina and Founder of Gina for Missing Persons Foundation. Jannel Rap wrote the theme song for the “Ride.” Rap led the students in singing the song as the speakers arrived at Hayward. Rap has performed with her son, Elijah, and The St. Mark’s Children’s Choir.
In Lincoln, Rivazfar and Smart were also be joined by Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady, Nebraska Senator Bill Avery, Chief Deputy County Attorney Joe Kelly, The Child Advocacy Center, and Dr Tom Osborne’s TeamMates Mentoring Group.
Rivazfar, Smart and Lundsford began their ride on Aug. 21, in Rochester, N.Y. The “Ride” concludes on Sept. 22 in Los Angeles.
For more information, visit www.RideforTheirLives.com. More remarks from Smart and Rivazfar will soon be posted online at www.ncnewspress.com.
