Canon Promotional Day At Yankee Stadium Focuses On Child Safety And The Use Of Digital Photos To Help Locate Missing Children

Today marks Canon U.S.A.’s fourth annual promotional night at Yankee Stadium as the Yankees take on the Seattle Mariners. Working with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) and the New York Yankees, Canon is helping to raise awareness of issues related to locating missing children. During pre-game ceremonies, Ryoichi Bamba, chief operating officer, Canon U.S.A., Inc., will present NCMEC with a check for $765,928 representing the amount of money donated and raised by Canon U.S.A. on behalf of NCMEC.


“Kyosei, all people harmoniously living and working together into the future, is Canon’s corporate philosophy and we can find no cause more important than the protecting and fostering of our most precious resource, our children,” said Joe Adachi, president and chief executive officer, Canon U.S.A. “For the fourth year now, Canon has worked with NCMEC and the New York Yankees to bring into focus the many ways digital cameras, printers and photos can play a very key role in assisting in the locating of missing children.”

Through the Canon4Kids program, Canon works to educate parents and guardians with tips on how to best take and maintain updated photos of their children. With time being a critical element in helping law enforcement locate missing children, digital photos can be transmitted and displayed instantly across wide geographic areas quickly and easily, increasing the possibility a child will be successfully located.

“One in six children featured in our photo distribution network has been recovered as a direct result of someone recognizing the child’s photo and notifying authorities,” said Ernie Allen, president and chief executive officer of NCMEC. “Canon’s program reminds parents and guardians of the importance of having a current photo of their child.”

In cooperation with Canon4Kids, the New York Yankees sponsor the “Tag-A-Kid Program” at Yankee Stadium. Through this initiative, wristbands are offered at customer service booth locations throughout the Stadium to assist security personnel in identifying seating locations of lost children and reuniting them with their parents. Promotion of the program is featured on the centerfield matrix and DiamondVision boards, as well as on the new light-emitting diode (LED) side scoreboards.

The current Canon4Kids program also features pictures of missing children along with the NCMEC hotline (1-800-THE-LOST) at various venues. As part of the effort, PGA TOUR golfer Briny Baird and Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour golfer Michelle McGann each place a photo of a local missing child on their golf bags during each tournament in which they play.

Canon U.S.A. and NCMEC have collaborated since 1997 to raise public awareness about the growing issue of child abduction. Canon has provided more than 1200 photographic and printing products to law enforcement agencies to aid in the recovery of missing children. For more information, please visit www.missingkids.com.

About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that as a national clearinghouse for information and a resource for child protection. It 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 475,000 leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 130,300 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 112,900 children. For more information about NCMEC, please call its toll-free, 24 hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its Web site at www.missingkids.com.

About Canon’s Sponsorship of the New York Yankees
Since 2000, Canon has been a sponsor of the New York Yankees. In 2004, Canon increased its presence at Yankee Stadium with an outfield sign on the left field wall, further enhancing the Company’s brand presence for millions of fans.

In addition to the prominent left field sign, Canon continues to receive exposure on signage behind home plate during the top of the sixth inning. Concourse dioramas featuring Canon print advertising are also displayed on the field level of the Stadium, with a Canon television commercial featured as part of pre-game exposure on the DiamondVision board.

Canon’s sponsorship also includes the “Official Printer, Copier, and SLR Camera of the New York Yankees” designation.