Staff Writer
CARIBOU — Much like other in the city, members of the Caribou Masonic Lodge care about kids and will be at Teague Park on Saturday, Aug. 13 offering free participation in the Maine Masonic Child Identification Program (CHIPS) — which is a comprehensive child identification and protection tool designed to give families a measure of protection should their child go missing.
“All identifying items generated at MECHIP Events are saved on a computer disk and given to the parent or guardian to take home for safe keeping,” explained David Spooner, Worshipful Master of the Caribou Masonic Lodge 170. “If their child becomes missing, the pack can then be provided to law enforcement to aid in recovery and identification. The Maine Freemasons keep nothing but the permission form signed by the parent prior to children’s participation.”
To date, Masons have held 1134 CHIPS events in Maine, according to Spooner, and have provided 44,556 children with identification packets.
Participating youths accompanied by a parent or guardian will be electronically fingerprinted (no ink), digitally videotaped and interviewed to establish digital images and voice prints, as well as being measured for height and weight. The process takes about five minutes or less and approximately 12 volunteers will be working at all times to make certain the program runs quickly and smoothly.
“The members of the Caribou Masonic Lodge felt that the Caribou Cares about Kids festival was the perfect place to hold a CHIPS program not only because it draws kids from the entire region but also the theme of the festival matches the mission of the CHIPS program perfectly,” Spooner explained. “The motto of the CHIPS program is ‘It’s not what we do, it’s who we do it for.’”
“Caribou Cares about kids and so do Masons,” he added.
The masons will be holding the CHIPS program in the Utility Building at Teague Park from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
According to Spooner, the Caribou Masonic Lodge is very pleased to bring this worthwhile program to the Caribou Cares About Kids Festival.
“It’s our sincerest hope that no family will need the resources provided by this program, but if the need should arise, we believe the information that we provide from this program will be instrumental to law enforcement agencies in recovery of missing children,” Spooner said.
