Your Moderation and Technical Support Team

[Kelly]

Welcome to the Project Jason Forum! 

What follows are the bios of your Moderator and Technical Support Team.

[Kelly]

Kelly Jolkowski, President and Founder of Project Jason.

Kelly’s son, Jason, disappeared on June 13, 2001, at age 19, from the driveway of their home in Omaha, NE. More than 8 years later, the Jolkowski family lives with no leads or clues in Jason’s disappearance. Since then Kelly has become an active advocate for families of the missing.

She was instrumental in passing Jason’s Law, which mandated the creation of the Nebraska State Missing Person’s Clearinghouse. Kelly also founded Project Jason, a nonprofit organization which assists families of the missing nationwide. She has had over 100 hours of professional training in respect to missing persons from various sources, including NCMEC, DOJ, and Fox Valley Technical College.
 
Kelly has spoken at several national events including the National Sex Offender Management Conference, Fox Valley’s Uniting in the Search for the Missing, and the National Candlelight Vigil. She has spoken several times at NCMEC’s Ride for Missing Children and also for the annual New York State Missing Person’s Day in 2005. She taught Project Jason's course on DNA and Missing Persons at the 2008 Cue Center Conference.
 
In 2009, she was the recipient of the Keeper of the Flame award, given annually to law enforcement, business leaders, organizations, search personnel and/or volunteers who have risen above their daily duties in the field of missing persons and service to victims of homicide; persons who have shown great empathy and brought forth action for the cause. She also received a certificate of recognition from the Office of Victims of Crime for her work in the missing persons cause. She has appeared on the Montel Williams Show, Fox National Dayside News, numerous national and international radio shows, and USA Today.

She has developed several unique awareness programs to help locate the missing, including the 18 Wheel Angels, Adopt a Missing Person, Awareness Angels Network, and Come Home. Kelly is currently spearheading the Campaign for the Missing, a 50 state grassroots effort to pass the missing person legislation developed by the DOJ. Several states have now passed this legislation with her guidance, and several more are in progress.

In addition, Kelly works daily with families of the missing nationwide through Project Jason and also with TEAM Hope, a branch of NCMEC. The efforts to find her son continue on as a regular, although not normal, part of her life.

[Kathylene]

My name is Kathylene Stolzenburg. I am a single mother of two wonderful teenage boys. I enjoy bowling, golfing, NASCAR and am proud to be a self proclaimed "computer nerd". On my 34th birthday I finally realized what I wanted to be when I grew up - a web designer. I was working full-time and enrolled full-time in classes. I received my Web Support Specialist - Microcomputer Technology Associate in Applied Science Degree in 2006.
 
I currently work full-time as a web & graphic designer, still attend classes part-time (you can never have too much knowledge), free lance, have a part-time job for extra spending cash,  and volunteer for Project Jason.
 
My volunteer service with Project Jason started in 2005. There was a volunteer position listed on the schools career page. I enjoy designing web sites and thought that it was the perfect way for me to be able to give back to the community.
 
Along with maintaining Project Jason's web site, I also design / maintain sites for missing people (currently I have 10). I try to design a site with the person's interests, likes and hobbies in mind. Although I have never personally met their family, I kind of feel a bond with them. One of the first sites that I took over was for a young missing girl. Unfortunately her remains were found just one week before Christmas in 2006. I was at work and was starting to receive a lot of guestbook entries to approve for her site. When I realized the messages were of condolences, I was hurt. Again, I had never met her or her family and dont even live in the same state, however I still felt a loss. Although I love the work I do for Project Jason, I can honestly say that it would be great if it was a job that was no longer needed.     

[Denise]

Denise Gibbs, Project Jason Volunteer

I live in southwestern Illinois in the metropolitan St. Louis area.  I work full-time in the legal profession and part-time as a bookseller with a well-known bookstore chain and part-time as an author assistant. 

Like Kelly, I have always been captivated by mysteries, real and fictional. I don't know exactly when it happened, but I became interested in missing person cases many many years ago. I was always fascinated by missing person cases I read about in newspapers, magazines and on the internet, as well as by those I saw profiled on television. I simply could not imagine how a human being could disappear without a trace in this day and age, particularly in well-populated areas.

I did not do anything proactive until Laci Peterson went missing in 2003 when I became involved with the Crime & Justice message board and missing persons forums which is where I met Kelly. I began to research missing persons and was astounded by how many people are missing...and that the number grows on a daily basis.  I love research so locating articles on the missing is something I really enjoy.

I have two grown children and an 8-year old granddaughter. I can not imagine what life would be like for me if any of them went missing. I would truly be devastated, and I would want the entire world to be out looking for them.

So in my own small way, I try to be a voice for the missing by attempting to make the world-at-large aware of them simply because I care. I truly feel joy when a missing person is located safe, and I cry when they are located deceased due to foul play, accidents or self-inflicted injuries.

I sincerely hope and pray that my miniscule efforts will help to bring more missing persons home safely.

[LoriDavis]

Lori Davis
Project Jason Volunteer

I am a married, mother of one from Southeastern Ohio.  My life is very full with my husband and my teenage son. My son has a rare bone disease, osteopetrosis, which has left him in a wheelchair since he was 8 years old.  

I have a degree in Computer Science and have worked years in various web related jobs.  I am now working at a medical facility handling their marketing and technology needs.
 
Thankfully, our family has NOT experienced the loss of a loved one but my heart breaks for each new case I read or hear about.  My interest in missing persons began when a OSU medical student, Brian Shaffer, went missing on 4/1/06.  I became involved by maintaining the family's website and developed a close friendship with Brian's father, Randy, who was tragically killed on September 14, 2008. 
 
After working on Brian's site, it became painfully obvious that his was one of many cases that needed attention.  I found Project Jason and knew it was a perfect match.  I need to try to contribute in anyway I can and this site can help so many families.  With each case, I try to imagine it as my brother, sister, mother, or friend.  That's all it takes to keep me motivated.
 
Blessings.

[Deborah]

Deborah Cox,
Case Verification Volunteer

I am from South Carolina, but now live in Ohio. Go Clemson! Yeah Panthers! However, I must confess, I am a Die Hard 49er Fan! We miss Steve & Jerry.
 
  Up close and personal.....
An old soul in a young body, I am part Marilyn Monroe, part Patsy Cline though mostly Scarlett O'Hara. (did I mention how modest I am)  0{:) 
I collect Marilyn Monroe memorabilia, and of course Angels. I am well known for my addictions........Dark Chocolate & Shoes.

I have been a volunteer for Missing, Abused and Exploited Children & Adults for 18 years. If you are or know of someone in need, please do not hesitate to reach out. Cancer Research, Domestic Violence Prevention, and preserving our Natural Resources are also of great importance to me, Please help when you can.

To those in need understanding, patience and lending a helping hand are as important as giving money~


Deborah Cox, Volunteer
Case Verification
Project Jason
www.projectjason.org
Please help us with Jason's Birthday Campaign:
http://www.projectjason.org/forums/index.php?topic=3021.0
If you have seen any of our missing persons, please call the law enforcement agency listed on the post. All missing persons are loved by someone, and their families deserve to find the answers they seek in regards to the disappearance.

[Mel]

I am Melinda Dunn and been with Kelly since the Come Home program. I became involved as a way of healing, as my nieces 6 week old baby boy died suddenly . I was posting at a forum where Kelly was posting and one thing lead to another and here I am. Some people find it hard understanding how you can do all this work for 'free'  but,  I just shrug my shoulders and smile at them and tell them that I get paid. The rewards are awesome and that is priceless!

I am also a web & graphics designer and have made many logos for Project Jason and many other orgs. Besides helping run things at Project Jason's I also help with Project Jason at Second Life as well as many other non profit orgs at Second Life.  I also teach graphics designs from my web site and own a forum and a graphics email group. I do keep busy.

I live with my hubby, two dogs, one cat and have children and grandkids and love working from home. I am from Southern IN, a very  small rural town, population 828 (counting stray cats and dogs) and I love living here, was born here and will die here.

Excited being on the forum team and making this as good as we possibility can!

Melinda

[Jenn]

Hello everyone!

I'm Jenn.  I live in Ontario, Canada.  I live with my hubby Dave and our two dogs, Arthur and Lola.  Dave is an engineer and works close to home, but long hours.  Arthur and Lola are both adopted rescue dogs and have brought alot of joy and love into our lives.  My family all lives close by (within about a 10 minute drive from each other).  I'm the oldest of three.  My sister's daughter is 12 and she spends a lot of time with us and I really like being an auntie.  

Dave and I like gardening, birding and taking road trips.  We're both vegetarian and grow our own veggies in our organic garden in the summer time.  We're also into hockey (stereotypically Canadian, I guess).  I come from a long line of Detroit Red Wings fans  

I started volunteering for Project Jason with the AAN poster project just over a year ago.  I read about Kelly and Jason on another forum and I was really touched by Kelly's story.   That lead me to the Project Jason website and when I saw the call for volunteers, I wanted to help out. I have also been working on the Come Home Project and emailing various homeless shelters.  I'm definitely learning a lot as we go along.

It's been great to meet everyone here and nice to see how people from all over can come together and make a difference for people.  
Jenn