BRYAN, Texas — For the first time in its 20-year history, the Amber Alert Network of the Brazos Valley [AANBV] will host a self-organized charity fundraiser this Friday at Big Shots Golf in Bryan.
Retired police officer Chuck Fleeger, AANBV's president, and singular employee has been a driving force to make this organization what it is today.
"We were created originally to oversee our original Amber Alert network, but over the years our board of directors has really seen the need to really address the missing persons issues," Fleeger said. "... We help notify the public about any missing person incident."
AANBV has been involved in numerous prominent missing person searches, such as the College Station Search for Hazana Anderson in 2018, and the recent recovery of Christopher Ramirez in Plantersville. But it’s not just the recent cases that the network covers and brings to public attention.
“There are cases here in the Brazos Valley that go back as far as 1979 - that’s the oldest missing person case we have right now," Fleeger said. "Her name was Sophia Felicita Moreno, and she was 16 years old when she went missing.”
The fundraiser this Friday will fund basic operational costs, as well as educational material, poster material, and training courses for police to find missing individuals.
"Helping to locate our missing children and adults, I’ve seen how it works on several occasions," said Kenny Elliott, Brazos County Pct. 1 justice of the peace and board member for AANBV. "Getting our children back makes all the difference in the world.”
In addition to the evening fundraiser, early Friday afternoon the AANBV will meet in Bryan with seven Brazos Valley county judges. These judges will sign a proclamation designating the day as “Missing in the Brazos Valley Day.”
"It’s an opportunity to shine light on this issue," Fleeger said. "... And to focus on the families of the missing that are still unaccounted for –to let them know that we haven’t given up, and this community hasn’t given up.”
Ticket sales to the golf fundraiser have now closed, but you can still contribute by making a donation on the nonprofit’s website at the following link: