What do you get when you cross a blonde version of Wonder Woman and a modern day Rin Tin Tin?   Well… Monica Caison, of course!

She is one of a brood of 11 children and native of Florida.  As a rebellious teenager she had her brush with the law, but…that experience made her grow up ever faster… and in the interim, she personally knew  at least three families who had members “go missing” by the time she reached age 25!  Then, she had an epiphany, Why not create an agency specifically designed to locate missing persons and assist with the needs of their loved ones?   And that’s exactly what she did in 1994! She founded the Community United Effort (CUE) Center for Missing Persons, based in   Wilmington, North Carolina. Since that time, she has assisted over 9,000 families of the missing by providing absolutely free services (of which there are a boatload!).The organization is staffed by volunteers and FUNDED ENTIRELY BY DONATIONS! 

How Monica does what she does each and every day, remains an enigma… She works…and is on call 24/7; She takes calls and cases from all over the United States.  She takes no salary… and I don’t think her husband is a relative of the Bill Gates clan! Monica also offers youth mentoring and college internships.   It appears she seldom sleeps, probably doesn’t eat much and values her smoke breaks when she can fit them in….. Interviews have revealed a “diamond in the rough”…. with some salty language “to get the point across”.  However, when she speaks of the plight of specific victims, there is no one more compassionate or caring…

 

***Free Services Offered by the CUE Center

• Search and Recovery, Victim Support, Investigative, Awareness Resources
• Canvassing – foot, vehicle, neighborhood /door to door
• Teams- K9, air, water (boat & divers), horseback, 4- wheelers, ATV, GPR, ground pounders, command IC, mapping control, current technology  instruments
• Case goal/efforts with guidance for families of the missing.
• Support from local and national sisterhood organizations
• Act as a liaison for families, media, agencies and law enforcement
• Financial aid/most cases
• Community and public awareness programs for missing victims
• Provide a variety of guest speakers and topics
• Finger printing/ photo ID programs /DNA technology
• Poster/ flyer distribution, to include internet distribution nationally
• Bill board (resources)
• Reward resources
• Safety/prevention workshops
• Organizing private and public meetings for case effort
• Utilize all areas of case resources and identifying case needs
• Provide spokesperson / advocate for missing person case
• Campaign force effort in locating the missing
• Counseling resources – group, individual, grief, trauma
• Food, shelter, fuel provided for search teams and families of the missing
• Full complete investigative casework of missing person
• Support group and victim resources; homicide, abuse, rape and mental illness
• Bulk mailings project for missing persons
• Twenty four hour public TIP number to be provided for cases of the missing

From what Ladyjustice has heard and read, Monica is also a master organizer and her volunteers are creative fundraisers.  Just consider the endeavors designed to raise money for resources:

A few of the fundraising projects include:

1)      Greensmoke for Cue. An electronic cartridge cigarette that looks and feels like a real cigarette but is an alternative;

 

2)    Fueling Good Sponsored by Citgo

3)    Project Prayer for The Missing – Quarters For CUE  A youth Ministry program offering prayer to families of the missing, raising awareness and money during masses held in honor of the missing.

And last but not least, Monica offers a one of a kind National Annual Conference to impart knowledge, provide support and resources for families of the missing and service providers. This year’s 8^th annual Conference information can be found at the following link:The 8th Annual National Missing Persons Conference 2012

CONFERENCETHEME 2012 “In Support of the Journey” Thursday, March 22-25, 2012

Who stands up for the missing, lost, abused, neglected, murdered, disposed of and otherwise forgotten individuals who need to be found and loved, whether alive or dead?  Answer: Monica Caison.  Please donate now:

http://www.ncmissingpersons.org/category/donate/

As this writer closes out another blog chapter she can think of no better a musical refrain than Linda Ronstadt’s “Heart Like A Wheel” to remind us of Monica’s dedication and the love lost from all of those who have gone missing:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4edvNAtAwE

Related articles

• CUE Center for Missing Persons National Conference Taps 3 ImaginePublicity Clients for Presentations (imaginepublicity.com)
• The Roth Show with Susan Murphy Milano : Missing Persons Cases’s Jonathan-Graison-Bradley and Rose Marie Gayhart 7:00 PM Eastern Time (murphymilanojournal.blogspot.com)
• The Susan Murphy Milano Show “Time’s Up!” Highlights the Amanda Jones Case-Thursday 3/8/2012 at 2pm ET (murphymilanojournal.blogspot.com)
• Project Prayer for The Missing – Quarters For CUE (ncmissingpersons.org)