Its mission is to help protect and recover missing, exploited and runaway children. The nonprofit also assists law enforcement and affected families trying to find loved ones.

When children are found, those are among the happiest days in the office, supervising investigator Lindsey Brooks says.

Since its inception in 1990, Child Quest has assisted in the recovery of 2,900 individuals worldwide. The small, five-person staff provides casework and investigation services along with education and prevention.

The organization's executive director, Marcia Slacke, says that after a family member initially contacts the group—asking for help—Slacke's next step is to notify law enforcement.

"We work with the police to help in any way possible," Slacke says. "And, we also act as a liaison with the family."

Brooks says that due to the extensive time she spends talking to families who are trying to find missing children, after a child is found, she often stays in contact with the parents.

"It is such an emotional issue," she says. "They usually just need someone to talk to and to listen to their frustrations."

And she adds, "It is really encouraging when I receive a call or letter from a child who is back in school after running away."

Brooks and Slacke won't divulge too much information about cases they have solved or ongoing investigations, because many cases involve juveniles and work with police officials.

But she did provide an example of one case that was quickly solved. A child ran away in San Francisco, and the parents called the organization right after they discovered the child was missing. Brooks drove to San Francisco and immediately started distributing flyers to people around the area where the youth was reported missing. A person who saw the child's picture on the flyer found the runaway and called the number on the flyer; the child was reunited with the family.

This example resulted in a happy ending, but there are many cases still pending. The organization has 150 cases in its database, with 30 cases being actively pursued or investigated. Part of the investigation process involves pulling phone records, obtaining as much information from the victim's family as possible and distributing posters of the missing person, Brooks says.

She also adds that investigating the whereabouts of a missing child or adult is usually challenging due to a variety of issues. Some abductors will change the appearance of a child and change their name, which hinders the investigation process. And, Brooks says, it's also common for parents who don't have custody rights to take their children to another country.

Shortly after a child or adult is found, the organization requires the person to undergo counseling, and Child Quest provides a list of referrals to each person, depending on their needs.

Child Quest's services are offered free to victims and their families. And, because this is a nonprofit organization, the service relies on numerous fundraisers, corporate donations and individual supporters to assist the group financially.

Funding is just one of the obstacles the nonprofit has to juggle. It also faces the ongoing challenge of working with a daunting list of statistics in its pursuit to recover and protect missing children.

Last year, more than 58,000 children were abducted by nonfamily members in the United States. And, according to statistics from the National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway and Thrownaway Children, family members who are seeking to interfere with a parent's visitation or custodial rights kidnap more than 200,000 children annually.

A majority—at least 98 percent—of the kidnapped children are returned from their abductors. But, in stranger abductions, about 40 percent of the children are murdered.

Slacke says that despite these challenging issues that face her staff everyday, employee morale is high and everyone continues to stay upbeat even when times are particularly trying.

"We are happy we can provide this service to so many people and that our video [Milk Cartons: The Way Back Home] has assisted so many people."

The video, written by San Jose police officer Frank Swaringen and Santa Clara County DA investigator Collette Swaringen, was developed to educate children about safety. The video is shown to children in schools and at safety fairs. It is a movie-style version of a simulated abduction.

Slacke hopes viewing the video will help decrease the number of missing children in California and nationwide. She encourages anyone interested in obtaining the video to call the nonprofit.

For more information about Child Quest International, call 408.287.HOPE, access http://www.childquest.org or email the organization at info@childquest.org.