Two years ago today, our Colorado community was rocked by the abduction and murder of a 10-year old girl who had dreams of being a cheerleader in junior high school and loved the color purple. Jessica Ridgeway was taken on her way to school and the community still grapples with the tragedy.
This nightmare for the community resulted in something positive, it sparked Lassy Project, which honors Jessica’s memory every day by building safer communities, protecting children and by combining social impact and technology.
Sarah Ridgeway, Jessica’s mother, has been a supporter of the Lassy Project since its founding and works every day as a part of the Lassy Project staff to encourage communities to utilize the free app.
“Through everything, we have had the constant support of our community. When Jessica was missing there were hundreds of people that came to our side to help with the search. There is a community of people out there that care enough to want to help in times of need, and that is why I know Lassy Project is absolutely critical to preventing future child abductions.”
Lassy Project CEO and Co-Founder John Guydon remembers wanting to do something upon hearing about Jessica’s disappearance. “I’m a father of three. I cannot imagine the helplessness that a parent feels when their child doesn’t come home and precious minutes are ticking by. I thought there has to be something that can help solve this problem – something that can give parents, friends and neighbors some control in such a helpless situation. And that’s when the Lassy Project began to come together.”
Lassy Project is a free service that gives parents and guardians the ability to notify an entire local community about their missing child in seconds. With the single push of a button, parents can mobilize a trusted group of family, friends and neighbors immediately to help with their search.
Jessica is a daily reminder of the work done by Lassy Project staff and it’s supporters. In fact, even the new Lassy Project logo was inspired by Jessica who was always dancing and singing. Sarah remembers how she would share her new cheerleading routines every time she returned home from her junior cheerleading class with the Stanley Lake High School cheerleaders.
The megaphone, used by cheerleading teams around the world, was chosen as the logo as it is also a symbol to our communities to raise their voices and become a part of the solution. By calling out to our family, friends and neighbors and rallying our loved ones to become a part of the Lassy Project, we have the power to find lost, missing and abducted children.
In honor of Jessica and the thousands of other missing children, we ask that you become a part of Lassy Project and support our efforts to protect our children and build safe communities. Join Lassy Project today by signing up for free, expanding your village and spreading the word starting at www.LassyProject.com.
Lassy Project 