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[Kelly]

Kelly Murphy, Project Jason founder, was honored by Deseret News as one of their 2015 heroes.

 

http://www.deseretne...ear.html?pg=all

Deseret News heroes of 2015: 7 people who made a difference this year

 

By Deseret News Staff
Published: Wednesday, Dec. 23 2015 6:30 a.m. MST
Updated: Friday, Dec. 25 2015 4:51 p.m. MST


Most heroes don't think of themselves as extraordinary people. If you were to ask any of the people on this list if they think of themselves as heroes, they'd probably say no. What they all have in common, however, is a desire to make a difference.

Most heroes don't think of themselves as extraordinary people.

In fact, if you were to ask any of the people on this list if they think of themselves as heroes, they'd probably say no.

What they all have in common, however, is a desire to make a difference.

This year's list includes a doctor who has dedicated much of his life's work to a subject many of us avoiding thinking about until it's too late: sickness, aging and death. Atul Gawande isn't just a doctor, he's a father and a journalist who has shined a light on subjects like the spread of Ebola and the the long-term impacts of the Affordable Care Act.

“Our most cruel failure in how we treat the sick and the aged is the failure to recognize that they have priorities beyond merely being safe and living longer," he said.

While Gawande is fairly well known, some of the heroes on this year's list are not. One of those is Kelly Murphy, a mom who helps families cope with loss. And then there's Amrita Ahuja. A native of Mumbai, India, Ahuju has a Ph.D. in business economics from Harvard, but her interests lie beyond simply understanding how markets work, or how companies can maximize profit. Instead, Ahuja wants to figure out how to do the most good with the least amount of money possible. Call it efficient charity. Ahuja and her team are working to bring clean water to millions in the developing world and slow the spread of HIV.

This year, the Deseret News has selected seven heroes, one for each of our areas of editorial emphasis. While these heroes come from all walks of life and all corners of the globe, each has found a way to make the world a better place. We hope their examples can inspire us all to do the same, in ways both big and small.

Family: Kelly Murphy

Her son’s disappearance on June 13, 2001, launched Kelly Murphy on a journey that has helped thousands of families figure out how to take the next step as they cope with the loss of a loved one.

Jason Jolkowski, then 19, was last seen taking the garbage cans to the curb of their home in Omaha, Nebraska. He then waited for a ride to his job. He never got there. He simply vanished, and no clues have ever been found.

Murphy coped with anguish and other emotions, some that may never completely resolve. But she didn’t stop moving. She launched Project Jason, an organization that helps families who have missing loved ones figure out their next step, whether it’s getting media attention to help in the search or learning to live a somewhat normal life in extraordinarily challenging circumstances.

There are a lot of people coping with such a loss. The FBI and the National Crime Information Center collect more than 800,000 missing person reports each year, with 105,000 annually that never get solved. Murphy also helped Jason’s Law get passed in Nebraska, establishing the state’s missing person clearinghouse.

Murphy lives in Renton, Washington, where she works full time for a company that sells outdoor gear and clothing, but as president and founder of Project Jason she is still fully engaged with the organization. It provides families with tips, private community boards, access to free online counseling with a qualified counselor and an annual “Keys to Healing” retreat that brings together loved ones of those who are missing to share ideas and help each other heal.

 

Read about the other heroes by clicking on the link above.

Deseret News is the leading newspaper in Utah, offering a rich perspective on faith and family issues as well as in-depth local coverage of education, politics, business, and, of course, sports.

DeseretNews.com is the leading newspaper website in Utah, with approximately 3 million unique visitors each month.

 

Project Jason thanks Deseret News and reporter Lois Collins for highlighting the cause of missing persons.