Canon USA’s 11th annual benefit for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

January 12, 2:46 AMLas Vegas Event Photography ExaminerStephen Thorburn

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John Walsh
Photo credit: Stephen Thorburn

Canon USA’s 11th annual benefit for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

This was the 11th consecutive year that Canon USA and the Center for Missing and Exploited Children held a Customer Appreciation Reception.  This year’s event took place on Friday, January 8, inside the Tower Ballroom of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino.  Guests enjoyed a buffet of fine cuisine, and an open bar while they had the opportunity to bid on live and silent auctions. The musical entertainment was provided by the dynamic LA Allstars. 

The evenings event was sponsored was by Canon U.S.A. Inc., and produced by John Arnos, Canon U.S.A., and Jaki Baskow, of Baskow & Associates, to benefit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), a private non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides services and equipment nationwide for families and law enforcement in the prevention of abducted, endangered or sexually exploited children with the goal of reuniting families.

Along with invited VIP guests and members of the media, including yours truly, an impressive lineup of celebrities from the world of entertainment and politics were in attendance to lend their support of the worthy cause. They included John Walsh (America’s Most Wanted), rock icon Alice Cooper, actors Richard Burgi (Desperate Housewives), Steven Root (most recently seen in Men Who Stare at Goats), Joe Regalbuto (Murphy Brown), Chris Rich, Kevin Dobson, Kevin Sorbo (TV’s Hercules) Gordon Clapp (NYPD Blue), Dean Norris (currently on AMC’s Breaking Bad), soap opera star Michael Storm, actor/comedian Cheech Marin (of Cheech and Chong fame), model/actress Molly Culver, musician/comedian Gary Mule Deer, Domenick Allen (former lead singer of Foreigner), his wife actress/singer/dancer Leigh Zimmerman (The Producers), singer Rudy Gatlin (The Gatlin Brothers), football players Willie Gault and Eddie Payton, Angelica Bridges, astronaut Walt Cunningham, Dr. Gadget, comedienne Grandma Lee, golfer Natalie Gulbis,  actress Paula Tickey and many more.

John Walsh
Photo credit: Stephen Thorburn



Kurt Bevacqua
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Natalie Gulbis
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Kevin Sorbo
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Robert Hayes
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Michael Storm
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Dean Norris
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Skip Martin
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Joe Regalbuto
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Paula Trickey and Molly Culver
Photo credit: Stephen Thorburn



Rudy Gatlin
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Murray Sawchuck interviews John Walsh
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Steven Root
Photo credit: Stephen Thorburn



Gordon Clapp
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Willie Gault
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John Walsh, Alice Cooper, Cheech Marin
Photo credit: Stephen Thorburn



Emcee John Daly
Photo credit: Stephen Thorburn

John Walsh, co-founder of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) spoke on stage about the impact the partnership between Canon USA and NCMEC has made in helping to protect children and raise awareness about the worldwide issues of child abduction and exploitation. The Canon4Kids program, a sponsorship between Canon U.S.A. and NCMEC, produces Public Service Announcements with missing children photos, and educates parents and guardians about tips for taking and maintaining updated photos of their children, and donates products to help law enforcement quickly disseminate photos and information about missing children.

Canon has contributed to the recovery of missing children, in part, by providing techno-age progression photos. “The recovery rate of missing children has increased from 64% in 1993 to over 97% in 2010,” Walsh said. Canon’s support of NCMEC has also helped to contribute to the recovery of more than 477 children featured in the Canon4Kids PSAs.

When it comes to child pornography and internet predators, NCMEC has reviewed 30 million pieces of child pornography, and 10 million images of child pornography that were analyzed have been given over to law enforcement to handle. With the help of NCMEC’s sex offender tracking team, over 700,000 sex offenders have been identified, located and convicted in this country.

The National Center’s partnership with Canon USA is an undeniable example of how a partnership between two amazing organizations can make a difference in the lives of children.

In addition to the evening’s event, the following Saturday morning, Canon sponsored the 11th annual NCMEC Celebrity Golf Tournament at The Tournament Players Club in Las Vegas to benefit the worthy cause.

For more information about The National Center for Missing Children visit www.missingkids.com. The center’s 24 hour, toll free, hotline number is 1-800-THELOST

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