Families and community members gathered at the Kings County Government Center Thursday afternoon in remembrance of what would have been Debbie Hawk’s 49th birthday, and to spread awareness about an organization trying to make a difference in missing persons cases across the United States.

The Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Reward Foundation is a non-profit organization that offers reward money for information that can lead to the safe return of a family member -- or a conviction in a murder case that has since gone cold.

“Our foundation exists to provide rewards in cases where families don’t have the ability to post their own reward, which may help bring resolution to the case,” foundation Executive Director Scott Webb said as he addressed a small crowd. “Every single day, we get calls from people needing help. Until you start working with the families, you don’t realize how many people are missing out there. It can happen to any family.

“We know there are people in the community that can bring information forward in these cases and help bring resolution to the families. We just need them to come forward, to share what they know, so we can help the victims.”

Combined with contributions from the community, the organization has offered a $20,000 reward for information in the case of Debbie Hawk, who went missing in June 2006 and is presumed dead.

While Debbie Hawk’s ex-husband, Dave Hawk, was arrested on suspicion of her murder in late May, the foundation is still offering the reward for information that will lead to a conviction in the case.

“We believe someone still has information that can help in the case,” Webb said. “We don’t have any bias about what is going on. We don’t care if the conviction is Mr. Hawk or someone else. We just post the rewards and work as a tool for law enforcement to help get cases solved.”

The foundation was formed in 1999, after Francis and Carole Carrington’s daughter and teen granddaughter, as well as a young exchange student, went missing in Yosemite National Park. The three had been abducted and were later found murdered. By posting rewards for information in the case, the FBI was given its first big break in the case, which eventually led them to the discovery of the missing threesome.

Despite that tragic resolution, the foundation has provided reward money in missing person and abduction cases with the hopes of bringing missing persons home safely or leading to arrests of suspects.

“Unfortunately, law enforcement is so backed up with work that they can put the resources on a case, but then have them pulled off it for something else,” Kings County District Attorney Ron Calhoun said. “But with something like this out there, there is a reminder, and someone will always be useful. That is very helpful. The more publicity it gets, the more activity you are going to get from it.

“If we didn’t have groups like this, many cases would go by the wayside.”

Cases such as the murder of 41-year-old Julian Barajas, an Auberry resident who was shot and killed in February after allowing a man at an auction to test drive his truck for sale.

Members of the Barajas family were somber but present at the gathering.

“We have posted more than $3.3 million in rewards and currently have 41 cases still unsolved,” Webb said. “That said, we’ve also assisted in the arrest and conviction of over 40 cases and helped return nine missing people. We typically provide a $5,000 reward for every case, but sometimes friends and family put more money towards it, and right now we are working on cases all over the country, in 47 different states.”

In the Kings and Fresno county areas alone, the foundation is currently assisting with eight separate cases.

“We want to get the word out there that families are going through this situation and it needs to stop,” Webb said. “People can come forward and stop these crimes. We have many people in the Fresno and Hanford area right now with missing or murdered family members. The cases are still unsolved.

“So we want people to come forward, so these cases can be resolved, and maybe the families can find some closure.”

The reporter can be reached at 583-2425.