Our Mission Statement
United by the hearts of communities and the assistance of public service agencies, we are banding together to safeguard the lives of people with special needs. Our goal is more than locating those that wander; it is to restore peace of mind back to the caregiver, through support groups, individual safety plans and educating the community. S.A.F.E.R. is a non-profit organization that is driven by the compassion of its founders.

Testimonials from People on the S.A.F.E.R. program

"I'm very excited about the S.A.F.E.R. program. It certainly helps to ease the mind that if a child wanders off, we have resources to find him before he can get too far away, and certainly before something terrible could happen. I like many other parents of children prone to wandering, and who lack the capabilities to identify danger, can truly relax a bit more. I am particularly grateful that the police can have information in their computers about my child and his particulars and can access this information in seconds enabling the police to work effectively with my child. Thank you Mario Cortolezzis and Ben Karnes for all you do for our children! They are "SAFER" because of you."
Christine Dondlinger - Waconia, MN

The Family Of Andrew Navales Want to Thank Mario Cortolezzis & his team that came out to help & Find Andrew, he is not even on the program (yet) & they came out & was on the search the whole time, he was found 22 hours after he ran from a clinic in Watertown & is a vulnerable adult. It was a very big miracle that he was found safe with the help of may volunteers & police. We are very blessed to have so many people out there volunteering. It gave us such a better view of man kind that peolpe in the community really care.
Thank you again so much for all the help. God bless you all. Andrew's family
Navales Family, Watertown, MN

You would not believe what it takes to keep our dad in the house these days. He has always been such a free sprited man, always in the garage doing something, these days he is locked in like a prisoner of his own home. Mario, thank you for showing my dad such compassion when you first met him, you didn't have to spend 3 hours talking to him about his past, but you did, and because of it, he is still wearing the transmitter on his wrist, talking about that nice man. We love what you are all doing with S.A.F.E.R. God Bless you.
Jason, Julie Storms, Mound, MN

"When I first seen the equipment, I have to admit I laughed, thinking it looked liked the old T.V. antenna's. But, when I was learning how to use the equipment, and being able to locate a small transmitter the size of a silver dollar, and walking on a cold day almost a 1/4 mile, and finding it in the middle of a corn field in under 12 minutes......I was SOLD. This program will offer us the tools, to return the S.A.F.E.R. members back to their loved ones, and save us from asking that question, 'which way do I go?' I am a STRONG believer in this program, and I am proud to be a volunteer."
Law Enforcement Officer.