Nearly 120 elementary school students received ID sheets containing their fingerprints, photographs and strands of hair to be used as DNA samples. As part of his community service requirement for Eagle Scout, Ben Cahn of Roslyn Heights planned and implemented this project at the Temple Beth Sholom Religious School and the Solomon Schecter Day School. This program was in response to the recent high-profile abductions, including the Elizabeth Smart case, which have been in the headlines over the past few years.

The special ID sheets, designed for this project, contain all the information required by law enforcement in case a child is lost, or worse. Included on the sheets are common sense tips on child safety, and it is recommended that the ID sheets (retained by the parents) be updated with new photographs annually.

A team of Solomon Schecter High School students, and another of Boy Scouts from Troop 267 were assembled and trained in fingerprinting to ensure the project was a success. The training was provided by Officer Vinnie Garcia of the Nassau County Police Department. The NCPD made the fingerprinting equipment available, and the cameras and film were purchased at cost from eCamera Films.com, a Bayshore company operating on the Internet. "Donations were very tight," said Ben. "Probably because of the economy ... but local businesses which have always helped with community projects in the past have cut way back. Danielle Skurnick, my donations chairperson, worked for hours to find donations for the project. CVS donated $25, and eCamerafilms.com really came through with a big discount." A donation made by Howard Gursky, the troop committee chairman (and himself, an Eagle Scout) covered the cost of the film.

Originally, Ben had hoped to complete the project in four locations, but because scheduling in the springtime is so tough, he was able to complete two of them. But the troop will offer a scaled-down version of this project again in the fall, to make sure the community is covered.

Ben, a junior at the Solomon Schechter High School, is a Life Scout and hopes to receive his Eagle award in September. Contributing to the project were: Life Scout Michael Sherman of Wheatley High School who will be attending the United States Air Force Academy in the fall; Herricks juniors Andrew Kovacs and Daniel Lerman, who are Life Scout and First Class Scout respectively. Also contributing were Troop 267 Eagle Scouts Josh Cahn (Ben's brother), a senior at Columbia University and Abhi Pardeshi, currently attending Rennsalear Polytechnic Institute.

From Solomon Schechter High School, volunteers were: Danielle Stern, Jason Roth, Danielle Skurnick, Ben Cahn, Aimee Almeleh, Elah Lanis and faculty advisor Tali Spiegel.

As part of the program, Ben has prepared a pamphlet for local schools and organizations on how to conduct this important project on their own. The pamphlet will be mailed to each local school, community center and religious school. Additionally, the information will be placed on Troop 267's website: www.geocities.com/troop-267.