The 'Afternoon with Santa,' sponsored by The Center for HOPE, attracted many families on Sunday at Canfield Casino in Congress Park.

The fundraiser, which featured a chance to get pictures taken with Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman, also had a magician, clown, entertainment, face painting, raffles and baked goods to raise money for a 'remorial.'

'Most people don't have a place to breathe and grieve,' said Mary Lyall, who co-founded The Center of HOPE with her husband, Doug.

The 'remorial' will be a 20-foot building with a perpetual flame at the top to remember those who are missing and give family and friends a place to mourn.

The Lyalls have been struggling with the loss of their daughter, Suzanne, a student at UAlbany who vanished in 1998.

'It's really difficult,' said Doug Lyall. 'Doing this helps us to move along.'

The Center for HOPE was distributing a pamphlet on the steps to take if a loved one disappears:

- Evaluate the Situation: Check the areas normally occupied by the person but leave undisturbed.

- Contact Law Enforcement: Delays can be critical. Contact the police immediately.

- Keep Your Search Going: Keep the public aware of your story. The police can provide guidance when contacting the news media.

The Lyalls have focused their efforts on assisting families to cope with disappearances of a loved one.

Bill and Veronica Frear from Scotia, whose son Craig disappeared in 2004, is one couple the Lyalls have helped.

'The Lyalls have been good friends,' said Bill Frear.

Veronica Frear sold baked goods on Sunday at the fundraising event.

'The support is priceless,' Veronica Frear said. 'It's been therapeutic, I guess.'

In a time when they felt isolated and nobody they knew could understand what they were going through, the Lyalls were very helpful, said the Frears.

'We want to raise as much money as possible,' Veronica Frear said Sunday.

The fundraiser also had information on safety with defense tips.

Judy Curran, a representative from radKIDS, a program that teaches children and parents to utilize knowledge, skills and power to protect themselves from violence and harm was at the event to answer questions and handout information on the program.

'We offer a 10-hour hands-on program for two curriculums, one for younger kids and one for older,' Curran said.

The radKIDS curriculum teaches:

- Home, school and vehicle safety

- Out and about safety

- Realistic defense against abduction

- Good-bad-uncomfortable touch and more

- Stranger tricks (including physical defense against abduction)

- Self-realization of personal power.

'I'm here to support the Lyalls,' Curran said.

Mary Lyall is hoping the area school districts will bring radKIDS, a Massachusetts-based organization, to New York.

With the attempted abduction that occurred at the high school on Oct. 31 this year, Dr. John MacFadden has said he would like to make a self-defense program a requirement for the school district.

At the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, a security analysis of the high school will be discussed.

While there is a need for a self-defense program in the district, discussion of security measures will be ongoing.

Also at the fundraiser on Sunday, children were getting ID cards made up from Operation Safe Child.

The card displays a child's name, gender, eye color, date of birth, hair color, height, weight and other information, plus a fingerprint image of both index fingers on the back.

In the event of a missing child, the parent can immediately present the card to police. This eliminates the time wasted gathering information.

For more information, contact the Center for HOPE at 884-8761 or www.hope4themissing.org. For information on radKIDS, visit their Web site at www.radkids.org.