ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 21, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children(® )Clear Channel Outdoor Americas (CCOA) (NYSE: CCO) and Clear Channel Airports (CCA) a brand division of CCOA and a subsidiary of iHeartMedia Inc., today are launching 'Be Here for Kids,' a national child safety awareness campaign coinciding with National Missing Children's Day (May 25). This digital out-of-home (DOOH) campaign features a series of powerful images and messages to educate people across the country about the most important issues related to missing and exploited children, and direct them to NCMEC's free safety resources. The DOOH launch creative reminds people they don't have to wait 24 hours to report a missing child and directs the public to Behereforkids.org for more information.

CCOA and CCA's media donation allows NCMEC to reach millions of people in cities across the country using digital billboards in 28 of its 38 U.S. markets including Washington, D.C., Chicago and New York and on airport displays in major U.S. international airports including Chicago O'Hare, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Denver International Airport, Hartsfield- Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

"The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has made tremendous strides over its 31 year history working to ensure the safety of our children," said Toby Sturek, Executive Vice President, Specialty Businesses, CCOA. "Our partnership gives their messages great visibility in local communities around the country and in major U.S. airports and will help protect and save the lives of children across the U.S."

For years, CCOA has tapped the real-time capabilities of its out-of-home media network to help recover abducted children through the posting of AMBER Alerts on its digital billboards. This new campaign extends that effort and underscores the company's ongoing commitment to child safety.

"We are grateful to Clear Channel Outdoor Americas and Clear Channel Airports for their generosity in supporting the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children on National Missing Children's Day through the 'Be Here For Kids' campaign," said Linda Krieg, NCMEC's acting CEO. "There has been amazing progress in child safety but there are still too many children at risk. Our commitment to their safety demands that we work harder than ever before, and now everyone who sees the campaign will have the chance to join us in the fight to protect children."

Child safety continues to be a critical issue nationwide. In 2014, there were more than 460,000 reports of missing children made to law enforcement in the United States. Also, law enforcement agencies have seen a dramatic increase in cases of child sexual exploitation in recent years. Last year there were more than 1 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation made to NCMEC's CyberTipline®, a reporting mechanism for these crimes.

To learn more about the campaign www.behereforkids.org.

To download EPK including b-roll of the billboards and NCMEC www.missingkids.com/behereforkids

For regional missing children alerts http://www.missingkids.com/RSS

About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is the leading 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and resource center providing services for law enforcement, families and the public to help find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation and prevent child victimization. Designated by Congress to serve as the nation's clearinghouse on these issues, NCMEC operates a hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST(®) (1-800-843-5678), and has assisted law enforcement in the recovery of more than 199,000 children. NCMEC also operates the CyberTipline, a mechanism for reporting suspected child pornography, child sex trafficking and other forms of child sexual exploitation. Since it was created in 1998, more than 4.7 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation have been received, and more than 143 million suspected child pornography images have been reviewed. NCMEC works in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. To learn more about NCMEC, visit www.missingkids.com. Follow NCMEC on Twitter and like NCMEC on Facebook.

About Clear Channel Airports
Dedicated to airport advertising for 40 years, Clear Channel Airports is the premier innovator of contemporary display concepts. The Company, a division of Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CCO), one of the world's largest outdoor advertising companies, currently operates more than 280 airport programs across the globe and has a presence in 32 of the top 50 U.S. markets with major airports. More information can be found on Clear Channel Airports and Clear Channel Outdoor by visiting clearchannelairports.com

About Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc.
Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCO) is one of the world's largest outdoor advertising companies with more than 640,000 displays in over 40 countries across Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and North America. Reaching millions of people monthly, including consumers in 45 of the top 50 U.S. markets, Clear Channel Outdoor enables advertisers to engage with consumers through innovative advertising solutions. Clear Channel Outdoor is pioneering the integration of out-of-home with mobile and social platforms, and the company's digital platform includes over 1,110 digital billboards across 38 markets in North America and over 4,700 digital displays in international markets. More information is available at www.clearchanneloutdoor.com and www.clearchannelinternational.com.

Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/CCOutdoor
Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CCOutdoorNA

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-national-center-for-missing--exploited-children-clear-channel-outdoor-americas-and-clear-channel-airports-launch-year-long-be-here-for-kids-campaign-timed-with-national-missing-childrens-day-300087183.html

SOURCE The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children