On average, 145 Australians are reported missing every day. Loren O’Keeffe founded the Missing Persons Advocacy Network (MPAN) to humanise missing people and alleviate the practical and emotional impact on their loved ones left behind.
Loren launched a social media campaign in 2011 when her brother Dan went missing that was the largest of its kind at the time. Having identified the gap in support, she established MPAN in 2013 after connecting with other families like hers.
People with a missing loved one live in a state of ambiguity, simultaneously hopeful and grieving. MPAN provides resources to steer them through both the practical tasks and emotional challenges.
Loren, a former communications consultant, finds innovative ways to humanise those who are missing, from billboards to coffee cups, podcasts to social media campaigns. By getting these stories out, Loren and MPAN mobilise the public and assist families and friends of missing Australians.