A Project Jason Press Release:  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“Extra Mile America Tour” Singles out Project Jason’s Kelly and Jim Jolkowski Among Those Making a Difference in America

- Author making coast-to-coast bicycle tour schedules Omaha stop to highlight those who are “helping people live more purposeful and passionate lives” -

Omaha, Nebraska – August 19, 2009 – Kelly and Jim Jolkowski of Omaha, Neb. have been identified among America’s best examples of “going the extra mile.”  The Jolkowskis’ nonprofit, Project Jason, provides emotional and tactical support to thousands of families across the nation who have a family member listed as a missing person. Project Jason was founded after their son Jason Jolkowski, 19, vanished in 2001. The Jolkowskis did not have assistance at that stressful time, and decided no other family with a missing person should have to go through this without assistance. Project Jason has since become a nationally-renowned resource for families of the missing.

The selection of the Jolkowskis was determined by three-time author Shawn Anderson. The Omaha stop is part of Anderson’s solo coast-to-coast bicycle tour, “The Extra Mile America Tour,” which he says shines the light on organizations and individuals who are going the extra mile to help people live more purposeful and passionate lives. Omaha is one of 21 stops during the San Francisco-to-Boston ride.

The tour began July 21 in San Francisco and ends in Boston the first week of October. The meeting between Anderson and the Omaha-based organizations is scheduled for Thursday, August 27 at 11 a.m. at United Way, 1805 Harney St. in Omaha, Neb.

More about Project Jason can be found at http://www.projectjason.org/

More about the Extra Mile Tour: http://www.extramileamerica.com

###

Sabrina Kahler is loved and missed. For more information, and a printable poster, please go to the Project Jason website: http://projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=5930.0

From Malinda Hoyt, Mom of Emillie:

We love you Emmie and miss you every day!

Emillie Hoyt was last known to be in Highland Beach, FL in January 2006 and rumors she may have gone to Ft. Lauderdale. We have had no word from her since then. Please help us find out what has happened to her.

To read all about Emillie, go to the Project Jason website http://projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=3842.0

This is a great video by Christina Fontana that expresses very well the sequence of events, the content, and the amazing results.

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/5609428/14723375

http://projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=6504.msg36999#msg36999

EDITOR’S NOTE: Donations of both funds and certain items will help reduce the costs for both the family members who will benefit from attending this treat, and for Project Jason.

To help offset the costs, you can  donate at http://www.projectjason.org/help.html

To view the donation items needed for the next retreat, go to http://projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=6504.msg36999#msg36999

To inquire about the items that will be needed, write to information@projectjason.org

Keys to Healing: Mind, Body, and Spirit ~  Project Jason Retreat ~ Omaha, NE August 13-15, 2010

      

The Project Jason Board of Directors is pleased to announce that the 2nd Keys to Healing Retreat will take place on August 13-15, 2010. The retreat is open to family members of missing persons whose cases are listed with law enforcement agencies in North America. 
(Be sure to scroll down and watch the video from the 2009 retreat.)

Your well-being is the most important element in what we do: support. The retreat, and all it offers, is the best life training offered anywhere for persons living with the ambiguous loss of a child or adult loved one.

We all know the difficulties we face in this situation. We know the emotions and the frustrations. None of us knows how long this journey will last, so it’s important that we do all that we do what we can to keep ourselves mentally, physically, and spiritually strong for the day we have our answers. These are the Keys to Healing, the keys to help you face each day without your missing loved one.

Sessions will be conducted by professional instructors, including a licensed counselor, personal trainer, dietician, missing person advocate, massage therapist, and a minister of faith.  Attendees will learn how trauma affects the body, how to address that trauma, and how to recognize and handle emotions such as guilt, fear and anger that come into play. There will also be a session designed to answer the question of “How do I go on?”

We are honored with the return of our 2009 core instructor, Duane Bowers, LPC, the nation’s foremost traumatic loss therapist and educator. Among his many services to families dealing with grief is providing support to families of abducted, missing, exploited and murdered children through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and to families of missing persons of any age through Project Jason’s Healing Harbor. Bowers is the author of “Guiding Your Family Through Loss and Grief” and “A Child is Missing: Providing Support for Families of Missing Children.”

Class descriptions and pricing will be announced at a later date. Pricing will be determined by any grants, corporate or private sponsorships received prior to the opening of registration for the event in 2010. Project Jason’s goal is to keep the price as low as possible, with the ultimate goal of being able to offer the retreat at no charge.

The Keys to Healing will again take place at the Swanson Center, a spacious, comfortable, and scenic retreat center near Omaha, NE. The entire center has been booked to ensure the most private and peaceful of experiences for the attendees.

I have been blessed during the eight years since Jason’s disappearance to have had a good support system, faith for the journey, and training to gain an understand of what is happening inside me and how to handle a variety of situations as they come along. I have learned to laugh again and experience joy, while at the same time keeping the search for my son active. I could not possibly box up what I learned and send it to you, but I can give it to you in the Keys to Healing retreat.

So, this is my gift to you from me and Project Jason. I hope you’ll be able be able to join us.  

Kelly Jolkowski, Mother of Missing Jason Jolkowski
President and Founder,
Project Jason
www.projectjason.org
Help us find the missing: Become an AAN Member
http://www.projectjason.org/awareness.html

All missing persons are loved by someone, and their families deserve to find the answers they seek in regards to the disappearance.

 

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-265761

Posted by: Eradicator

Missing Persons: The Search Continues in a Virtual World

Most gardens grow into beautiful things when they are nurtured and well-maintained. Within Second Life (an online virtual reality world, where people can freely create objects and express themselves), a special garden exists where as one visitor recently remarked to the owner, “No offense Ronnie, but I hope your garden stops growing.” Ronnie Rhode manages “The Garden for the Missing,” an area which documents 200 current missing persons.

When I first entered the garden, I noticed Ronnie Rhode at work moving a large “Missing Persons” picture that included relevant information on the individual. “She was found “not safe” today,” remarked Ronnie. “Not safe?” Not hearing the term before, I was confused and taken back. She responded, “Deceased.” The word hit like a ton of bricks, heavy and hard to take.

Ronnie started her time in Second Life (SL) like many residents, “I started this in September 2007. I was new to SL and had bought land because I liked the sunsets. One day I had an idea to put a few missing persons posters up and people who happened by loved it and were very encouraging so I decided to dedicate my land to the cause, one that I cared about.” Over time, Ronnie’s posters grew to the amount it is today. She researched and later partnered with the founder of “Project Jason,” Kelly Jolkowski. This helped establish Project Jason within Second Life, and lead to Ronnie becoming their public relations lead outside of Second Life. Kelly’s son, Jason, has been missing since 2001. The Project Jason website has information about missing persons, spanning both children and adults. Their belief is everyone, no matter of age, race, or gender, deserves attention.

Each of the posters in garden includes case specifics, accounts which are both informative and heartbreaking. “There were just a few cases that I had heard about and my heart just broke for the families. Then when I started this garden, obviously I became more involved, emotionally, and felt this was my calling. My heart really is in this work. It’s such an honor to be able to help the families gain more exposure for their missing loved ones.” She described the pain of the loved ones with missing family members “as living in the not knowing.”

While in the garden, resident Yvette Olivier commented aloud, “This is terribly sad, a parent’s worst nightmare.” She did express all of our hopes, “I think this is a brilliant idea. With all the visitors to SL every day, who knows, perhaps some of these individuals will be found.” We can only wish that Ronnie’s work within SL yields the returns. For the time being though, Ronnie’s work continues. For the deceased who were in the garden, Ronnie moves their posters to another section that houses roughly twenty-five boards. “I just hate when I have to move the posters there.  I see their posters daily while they are still missing so I think of them and their families often. When I have to move them, it’s just terribly hard. Harder for the families, of course, and that is where my heart goes. The Garden for the Missing isn’t about me, it’s about them.”

Within Second Life, my character (often referred to as an avatar) spends his time supporting the community through the Justice League Unlimited (JLU) of SL; a group that focuses their energy to provide peacekeeping services, to help to new residents, and to support numerous charities. Our members often adopt personas of superheroes, though we are not a roleplaying group. While in my travels looking to improve guides to for Second Life residents, I met Ronnie, a true hero. Her work within “The Garden of the Missing” and “Project Jason” shows how informative and useful the virtual world can be, as well as highly emotional. We can only hope that through spreading the word, we can make a difference. I know that I will try to do my best and I encourage you to do the same.

To learn more about Project Jason visit: http://projectjason.org

The Garden for the Missing in Second Life: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Remora/204/149/21

Project Jason in Second Life: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Aloft%20Nonprofit%20Commons/237/24/26

This is a rather amazing move — collecting DNA from people who have been arrested, but not convicted. It is fantastic that this will help solve other cases unrelated to the current arrest. But it’s also a bit questionable in terms of civil rights. I’ll need to learn more to really form an opinion on this (even though I cheer at the thought of solving cold cases!).

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/us/19DNA.html?_r=1&hp

Law enforcement officials are vastly expanding their collection of DNA to include millions more people who have been arrested or detained but not yet convicted. The move, intended to help solve more crimes, is raising concerns about the privacy of petty offenders and people who are presumed innocent.