'Rock One Sock' Campaign Puts Missing Socks to Work for Kids
John Walsh and his son, Callahan, explain their campaign for missing children.
— -- That missing sock from the laundry may have finally found its purpose -- as a reminder of the many thousands of missing children.
For National Missing Children’s Day on May 25, John Walsh, the former host of “America’s Most Wanted” and co-founder of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and his son, Callahan Walsh, are launching a new campaign called "Rock One Sock."
The concept behind “Rock One Sock” is that when a sock goes missing in the laundry, there is always hope to find it. Their campaign leverages that same sense of hope for finding missing kids. During the month of May, Walsh and his son are asking everyone to wear one sock, take a “footsie” photo, and then post it to social media using the hashtag #RockOneSock.
Walsh became a dedicated advocate for missing children after his own son, Adam, was kidnapped and murdered in 1981. One of his other sons, Callahan, is now also a Child Advocate at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and is promoting the "Rock One Sock" campaign with his father.
“We know these issues don’t affect every household and that’s why we wanted to take something relatable that people can use to spread awareness around our issues,” Callahan Walsh said on “Good Morning America” today. “We know it’s a small gesture but it allows people to stand in solidarity with our mission.”
His father added that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is “always trying to get people to look pictures of missing children and not forget.”
“Nowadays there’s a lot of attention when a child goes missing," John Walsh said, "and if that child isn’t found, two weeks later the media moves on to some other story and now that child is just another picture. We want people to have hope.”
The father-son duo also noted that “prevention is key” and parents and guardians should be talking to their children about how to stay safe.
“I don’t believe in a paranoid society but there are so many challenges these days,” John explained. “The center has so many kinds of free, wonderful tips for parents, especially the dangers online. Everybody’s online. Little kids are online. So we say to talk to your kids, tell them the rules, educate yourself. Knowledge is power. Not paranoia.”
The "Rock One Sock" campaign begins today.
