Teen Tackles Project to Prevent Abductions

When school ended last June, Eurie Jennings had earned an A in honors English for a project on child abduction and molestation. But in her mind the project had just begun.

Over the summer, the 15-year-old Edison High School sophomore created and designed a sign with a simple message for children: Mistrust strangers. Now, she’s trying to have the sign placed in city parks and recreational areas as a reminder to children.

“I see a lot of news about child abduction and molestation and it makes me sad,” Eurie said.

To illustrate her message, she created Raggs, a “lovable and humorous” alley cat who cuddles a friend called Nips and tells children: “Remember kids. Stay away from strangers and stay near to the people you love.”

Eurie and her mother brought the idea to Ron Hagan, director of community services. He suggested Eurie address City Council this month to garner support. The Police Department’s community liaison team is reviewing the request. “It’s a great project,” Hagan said. “She’s passionate about the subject and we applaud her effort.”

But Hagan said officials must study the request before deciding to place the signs in the city’s 59 parks. The city regularly receives requests for a variety of causes but has yet to place any signs in the parks.

“The problem is that kids must be warned about a lot of things,” Hagan said. “We have to be careful what we put up.” Even if Huntington Beach doesn’t accept her sign, the teenager said she’s determined to take her message to other Orange County cities.

“I would hope that Huntington Beach becomes the first city in the nation to adopt these signs,” Eurie said. “The signs are important because kids are so trusting.”