Wunderlich

McGruff a celebrity? Yes, its true! When you think of the word celebrity movie stars or pop stars might be the first to come to mind but entertainers are just one kind of celebrity.

Kids love to meet costumed charactersSanta, Spiderman and yes, even McGruff the Crime Dog are very real celebrities to them!

McGruff the Crime Dog has been teaching kids to "Take A Bite Out Of Crime" since the 1980s. In fact, the famous pooch turned 27 (or 189 in dog years) on July 1, 2007.

The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) is a nonprofit group who works to keep kids and families safe. It promotes public service ads under the National Citizens' Crime Prevention Campaign with McGruff as its spoke dog. You see him on TV, print ads and sometimes he even makes personal appearances.

McGruff has become well known through these public service announcements and also by making appearances at national and local events. He's done everything from walking in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York to being a guest on national talk shows and sitcoms.

McGruff's celebrity status is not slowing down any. With the coming of high-tech crimes such as identity theft and internet safety issues, McGruff is still talking -- and teaching people about preventing crime. Now McGruff doesnt just make high profile appearances at national events like National League Baseball games he will even visit your local community. Nationwide law enforcement agencies have more than 4,000 McGruff costumes that they use to bring McGruff to their communities.

Your school or other group can schedule a visit from McGruff to add some extra fun to your events. Fall carnivals and other school fundraising events are great places to have McGruff. Health and safety fairs, Crime Prevention Month and Halloween events and community events related to public safety are also great times to invite the famous K-9.

McGruffs official website at ncpc.org offers more information about public appearances. It also has warnings for citizens about such topics as telemarketing fraud and cyberbullying. The website also gives up to date information about legislation, crime rates and public opinion surveys.

If youd like to schedule a visit from McGruff for your next event, call your local law enforcement agency and ask where the closest McGruff is. If you cannot locate a costume, you can contact the NCPC for more information.

Jennifer Lawton enjoys writing about topics of interest to parents and families. She is a frequent writer for http://SuperFundraiser.com a site that provides ideas for sports team fundraisers youth groups and school fundraisers.