“When the kid who sits next to you is suddenly not there it leaves an impression,” said Alison Feigh, former classmate of Jacob Wetterling, the 11-year old St. Joseph boy whose abduction and murder in 1989 led to the Jacob Wetterling Act, the first state sex-offender registry law. 

 

Wetterling’s abduction made such a big impact on Feigh that she went on to obtain a master's degree in criminal justice with an undergrad in missing children. Today she works at the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center, the foundation originally begun by Wetterling’s parents.

 

As well as being an advocate and answering calls, Feigh educates adults and children on safety skills through a variety of workshops offered by the foundation. To coincide with National Bullying Prevention Month, the Clearview Elementary PTA arranged for her to hold two presentations at the school, the first aimed at the older students and the second at adults.

 

“There are so many reasons that kids don’t tell when bad things happen, so we have to make it easier by starting the conversation, keeping it going and doing “what if” scenarios,” she said.

 

“What if’s” played a big part in Feigh’s presentation to Clearview students, followed by interactive discussions on what to do in different situations. Safety rules were introduced with help from audience volunteers.

 

“Most grownups want you to be safe and understand the safety rules,” Feigh explained.

 

Holding her hand up with fingers spread, she told the students they should have five different grownups they can go to for help. Turning her hand palm up she explained these adults will act like their safety net.

 

Making sure other people feel safe was also emphasized during the presentation, with Feigh stressing to students that bullying and being mean wasn’t okay.

 

“No one has the right to hurt you,” she said. “People are like snowflakes. We all have different dreams and goals. When a person is being hurt it’s hard to have dreams. We want everyone to achieve their dreams.”

 

That evening Feigh led a free presentation for adults, which focused on how to talk to children about personal safety in a positive way without scaring them. One of her recommendations was to hold a family safety night twice a year to keep the conversation going with kids.

 

“It’s not a kid’s job to be in charge of their safety,” Feigh said. “It’s a kid’s job to be a kid. It’s the grownups job to learn about these issues and know what to do. Our goal is to help raise safe kids. Awareness is huge.”

 

The Jacob Wetterling Resource Center was founded to educate and assist families and communities to address and prevent exploitation of children. They continue to work to end all forms of child maltreatment through education, training and prevention while advocating for and serving children, adult survivors and communities.

 

For more information on keeping kids safe or on the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center, visit jwrc.org or call 651-714-4673.