A nationwide wireless Amber alerts subscription drive kicked off earlier this month in New York City with an event hosted by Elisabeth Hasselbeck, co-host of ABC's The View, along with Ernie Allen, president and chief executive officer of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The two are teaming up to urge the public to visit any RadioShack store for assistance in signing up to receive the free wireless Amber alerts on their wireless handsets.

"Hundreds of children have been recovered through the Amber alert plan, and the ability to ultimately deliver these alerts directly to the phones of nearly 200 million wireless subscribers can dramatically increase the reach of the program," said David Edmondson, RadioShack's president and chief executive officer. "We're proud to pledge our support and leverage our neighborhood locations to help get more people on board for this free program. Bottom line, if you have a wireless phone of any kind, there's no excuse for not being a subscriber to wireless Amber alerts."

The Amber alerts program was named for Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old who was kidnapped and murdered in Arlington, Texas, in 1996. That tragedy spurred the creation of early warning systems to aid in the recovery of abducted children. According to NCMEC, early public notification of abducted children through such systems as wireless Amber alerts has proven effective in recovery efforts. NCMEC says more than 230 children have been recovered as a direct result of Amber alerts since the program began.

Click here for a complete list of wireless carriers that support the delivery of wireless Amber alerts to their subscribers.
KW