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The New York Islanders raised over $100,000 for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) during Thursday night’s game against the New York Rangers.

Thanks to contributions of $2 from every ticket sale, a 50-50 Raffle and a Chuck-A-Puck contest, attending fans donated an initial total of $34,699. Islanders owner Charles Wang and Founder and Chairman of Cablevision Charles Dolan each matched the fans’ contribution, resulting in a final tally of $104,097.

Long Island native Katie Beers was on-hand to raise support for NCMEC and promote awareness. In 1992, nine-year-old Beers was abducted and held in an underground bunker for 16 days. Now a mother of two, she is a symbol of hope and recovery for children who have suffered through abuse as a child. Katie has recently written a book “Buried Memories: The Katie Beers’ Story” about her experience.

“I’d like to give victims a voice,” Beers said. “Not just children, but anyone that has gone through a trauma, I want them to know that they have a voice and that with the correct support and counseling they can recover and overcome.”

Callahan Walsh was also in attendance to represent NCMEC. Callahan is the son of John Walsh, who founded the Adam Walsh Child Resource Center in 1982 after his son Adam was abducted and murdered. John currently sits on the board of directors of NCMEC, which merged with the Adam Walsh Center. He is also the face of America’s Most Wanted, a television show that has helped capture over 1,000 criminals since first airing in 1988.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled.” Callahan said of the donation total. “Thank you to Mr. Wang and the Islanders for having us here. To put on an event like this is just phenomenal for the National Center. I just can’t thank everyone enough for their donations.”

Profiles and information on missing children were displayed on the Nassau Coliseum scoreboard throughout the night. Tips and reminders for both children and parents on how to stay safe were also presented during the game. NCMEC’s mascot, Clicky, was also featured at the game to help teach kids how to protect themselves.

About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1984. Designated by Congress to serve as the nation’s clearinghouse, the organization has operated the toll-free 24-hour national missing children’s hotline, which has handled more than 3,472,740 calls. It has assisted law enforcement in the recovery of more than 169,840 children. The organization’s CyberTipline has handled more than 1,290,050 reports of child sexual exploitation and its Child Victim Identification Program has reviewed and analyzed more than 60,381,370 child pornography images and videos. The organization works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice’s office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. To learn more about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site at www.missingkids.com.