November 5, 2009

Seven years ago, Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped from her bedroom at the age of 14, and Elizabeth's family called the Laura Recovery Center for help. Bob Smithers is the man behind the group that uses community members to find a missing child of young adult.

Smithers is ready to put Charlottesville to work this weekend, as they search for missing Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington.

Thursday, Smithers and two other Recovery Center volunteers began speaking with police in Charlottesville about this weekend's search. Already, grocery stores and office supply stores have begun donating to the cause. The group says they expect 200-300 volunteers to attend the pre-search meeting Thursday evening at the Cavalier Inn on Ivy Road, but they expect up to 1,000 participants this weekend.

"Our intention is to cover as much ground as possible, looking for any hint Morgan might have been there," said Smithers.

Founded in 1997, the Laura Recovery Center is named after Smithers' daughter, who was abducted and murdered when she was only 12-years-old. Smithers says he believes Morgan is out there and wants to bring her home to the Harrington family.

This weekend marks four weeks since Morgan was last seen at the Metallica concert at the John Paul Jones arena in Charlottesville. While Morgan's case has gained national and international attention, for the first time, people participating in the search say they feel like they are doing something to help.