Free fingerprinting for children offered.

Byline: Rebecca Nolan The Register-Guard

CORRECTION (ran 6/13/03): The KlaasKids Print-A-Thon event will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at SELCO Credit Union, 221 Division Ave., in Eugene. The incorrect date was published in story on page D3 of Thursday's Register-Guard.

Seventy-four percent of the children abducted by a person who intends to kill them die within three hours of disappearing.

That's a slim period of time where a speedy response could mean the difference between life and death.

"As you can see, it's very, very critical that you get out there and do everything as quickly as possible," said Marc Klaas, founder of the KlaasKids Foundation, which will be in Eugene this week providing parents and kids with free services that could make a difference in the unlikely event that a child is kidnapped.

"It's easily understood that the more information you have to hand to a law enforcement officer in case of an event in your life, the faster they're going to be able to begin an investigation and recover your child," Klaas said.

Klaas created the nonprofit foundation in 1997, four years after the tragic kidnapping and murder of his 12-year-old daughter, Polly Klaas. Polly's case, and her parents' pain, captured the nation's attention and heightened awareness about the risks of child abduction.

Sponsored by SELCO Credit Union, the KlaasKids Kids Print-A-Thon ID program will visit Eugene on Friday and Saturday. During the program, kids as young as 3-months-old will be fingerprinted and digitally photographed. The program is free and parents need bring only their kids.

The prints and photos will go home with parents, not entered into a database or maintained in any way by KlaasKids. That way, the information cannot be lost or abused, and parents will have it on hand in case they ever need to provide identifying information about their kids, Klaas said.

Parents also will receive tips about what to do should their children disappear, and SELCO will provide a kit for taking a sample of a child's DNA that can be kept in the freezer at home.

"If there's an event, they've got the prints, the DNA collection, personal and private information, and they know all the steps to take and who to call," Klaas said. "That gives you a huge head start right there over the kidnapper."

Kids can also practice calling 911 on a special telephone system during the two-day event, marketing director Bonnie Larson said.

Parents will also be encouraged to hold regular safety discussions with their kids to let them know what to do in an emergency.

It's the first Print-A-Thon in Eugene, but KlaasKids has served more than 250,000 families since its inception, the organization's Web site says.

"It's a simple and valuable program," Larson said. "Hopefully, as a result we'll be able to sidestep any grim event."

KLAASKIDS PRINT-A-THON

What: Parents can have children fingerprinted and photographed and gain tips on preventing abduction 

When: 1-4 p.m. Friday;

11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday

Where: SELCO Credit Union, 221 Division Ave., Eugene

Cost: Free