Band aid

Westchester County Business Journal, May 12, 2008 by Iarocci, Mary Sue

Last year, a walk in the park changed Paul A. O'Dea's life.

O'Dea took his sons Aidan, 7, and Conor, 5, to a park a couple of blocks from their Port Chester home when Aidan suddenly disappeared.

"It was a beautiful day and I was pushing my younger son Conor, on the swing," O'Dea said. "Conor's shoe fell off, and I stopped the swing to put his shoe back on. While I was, my older son wandered off."

Aidan, who was distracted by the flashing lights from a nearby Con Edison truck, went to investigate - leaving his father ridden with fear and anxiety.

After a brief search of the park without finding Aidan, O'Dea was just about to call the police when a man approached him and said he had seen the boy at the other end of the park.

"I raced down to the other end, and there in the bushes, was my son," O'Dea said. "I was relieved to find him safe."

O'Dea's scare at the park prompted him to start his own company, Qkind L.L.C., which makes Kids Safety Bands. The $4 orange, silicone rubber wrist-bands are laser-engraved with a child's name and the phone number of their caregiver.

"If your child wanders off and gets lost, anyone can recognize the branded orange band and call you immediately," O'Dea said.

The U.S. Department of Justice reports 797,500 children younger than 18 were reported missing in a single year during which the agency compiled numbers, resulting in an average of 2,185 children being reported missing each day.

O'Dea launched the company last month, and already has plans to make bracelets for adults with disabilities and seniors with Alzheimer's disease.

He hopes the bracelets will help caregivers find lost loved ones who are at the mercy of the general public, even if, as O'Dea said, "There are good Samaritans everywhere."

The Web site is www.kidssafetybands.com.