H&R Community News Editor

Jesse L. Schmahl is proud to be involved in what he calls a "wonderful community service program."

The Decatur man is assistant area coordinator for the Illinois Masons Child Identification Program.

"Parents like it. They are amazed at how thorough the program is," he said.

"It's beneficial and it takes hardly any time, 8 to 10 minutes," Schmahl said. "And it's free."

Here's what happens:

For a DNA test, a sterile cotton swab is placed in the child's cheek and rubbed vigorously. The procedure is repeated with another swab on the other cheek.

The swabs are placed in an envelope, sealed and given to the parents.

Each child is weighed and fingerprinted, and a head and shoulders photo is taken. A video is also made that includes the child talking.

The information is given to the parents. The CD included in the package has a JPEG format file for a single picture and a AVI format file for video and is PC-compatible.

Schmahl has conducted the program at the Decatur Day Care Center and in Blue Mound, Macon, Cerro Gordo and Monticello. At the 2007 Illinois State Fair, about 1,900 children went through the process. Anyone up to 18 years old is eligible.

An April 4 preschool date at Oreana is coming up. To schedule a visit, contact Schmahl at 875-2196, 412-8627 or www.jls1886insightbb.com.

Bob Fallstrom can be reached at bfallstrom@herald-review.com or 421-7981.