Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI

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Original Post: 06/19/05

The show ran out of time, so they have rescheduled me for next Saturday at 530 pst.

Kelly

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI

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Original Post: 06/24/05

Happy Birthday to Jason today....

xoxoxoxox
fourboys

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI  [/hr]Original Post: 06/24/05

Jason’s Birthday

On the night of my birthday, June 22, 1981, I went to the movies with my husband, Jim, and my mom and dad. The movie we chose to attend was the very first of the new Superman movies, starring Christopher Reeve as the “man of steel”. I was 9 months pregnant with Jason. We were in the midst of watching the movie, when I felt a trickle of liquid that I knew had to be my water starting to break. As it never broke and was just an occasional trickle, I didn’t want to ruin the movie for everyone by insisting on leaving, so we finished watching it, and then went home. (Whenever I see Christopher Reeve in that role, or Superman, I think of Jason.)

My water was not breaking, and the trickle had stopped, so we went about our business at home. I went to bed, but woke up in the middle of the night with what I was sure must be labor pains. I tried to go back to sleep, but I could not. I was confused by the pains, because they were constant, not intermittent, as we were taught in Lamaze class. I tried all sorts of tricks we were taught to either get the pain to subside, or be able to ignore it, but nothing was working.

At about 4am, I woke Jim up and told him that I was in labor, but because there was no break in the pain, I could not be for sure how soon the baby would come, so I thought it best that we went to the hospital.

At the hospital, time dragged on and on. The pain never subsided, nor did my water fully break. The next morning, the doctor broke my water. After that, the labor pains intensified, and I finally started to dilate, but I never progressed past five on the scale. I was becoming rather weary from lack of sleep and the continual pain. I did not understand why I did not have labor pains like everyone else with breaks in the pain. No one else understood either. At some point, they finally gave me a pain reliever, but it was not strong enough. By the afternoon of the 23rd, there was growing concern about the situation, as I now had a fever, and I did not dilate past five. They took an x-ray of my pelvis to see if they could determine the reasons behind what was happening. They did not come to any conclusions from the x-ray results. They also were concerned because of air reaching the baby, since my water was broke, and my fever continued. Sometime late that day, it was decided that I would have a c-section in the early morning, because they could not wait any longer.

I don’t think I slept at all, as I had been in pain for 36 hours with no relief, and I was very concerned about what was happening to me and our baby. In the morning, they asked if I wanted to be awake during the c-section. I was so tired, that I told them to put me to sleep. I was also nervous about the surgery, as I had never had to stay in a hospital or have surgery in my entire life. I figured it was better, for those reasons, to not be awake. (I did choose to be awake for the birth of my second son, Michael, but that was a planned c-section.)

When I woke, I was in recovery. I was told that Jason had been taken to another hospital, because they had a special neo-natal section, and the one I went to did not. They told me they were giving him anti-biotics as a precaution. As I had just gone through a traumatic labor and then surgery, I had a harder recovery. I was not allowed to go and see him, and they did not release him to come back to the hospital I was in. That first night, I remember lying awake, listening to the sounds of the hospital, longing to see my son. A hot tear rolled down my cheek, as I listened to the sounds of other babies and their mothers cooing softly to them in the night.

It was five days before they allowed me to go and see Jason in the other hospital. I slowly made my way to him. He was lying in the incubator with several tubes extending from him for the antibiotics and liquids. His eyes were closed, but I could still see that he was beautiful. They did not allow me to hold him. I could only try to stroke his little body with my hands. I wondered if he could sense that his mother had finally come to see him, and that it was her hands that tried to find a way to let him feel love.

Jason in the Hospital
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...toughstart.jpg

It would never be fully understood or known why the labor happened as it did. As Jason grew, it was clear something was wrong. It was thought that he has slight brain damage from the labor and the fever. This resulted in his having learning disabilities in the areas of speech and language, plus some fine motor coordination issues.

I wrote this in regards to his learning disabilities. It appears on his featured profile on the National Center for Missing Adults site.

Jason's Story at the CMA
http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/co...ile_jjolkowski
“Jason has learning disabilities in the areas of speech and language. His brain does not process things the way most do. People who didn’t know him would often make fun of him. School bullies would pick on him. Some thought he is mildly mentally retarded, but the truth is, he is of above average intelligence. What was truly amazing to me was that he chose a career that flew right into the face of the very thing that was hardest for him. He decided to be a radio D.J.. Sure, he had some glitches along the way, but people grew to respect him and to love him. Who wouldn’t? I am so proud of him.”

A day later I was released from the hospital, and then a couple of days later, Jason was finally allowed to come home. We were now all together, a family unit whose bond could never be broken regardless of distance or time. Little did we know that this bond would be altered almost 20 years later, as Jason disappeared 11 days before his 20th birthday.

Just as I hoped nearly 24 years ago that my touch could be felt by him, and that he knew I was his mother, I now reach out to him and hope that he knows how much I love him. Somehow, I think he does.

Thank you for the birthday wishes for Jason.

Kelly

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI  [/hr]Original Post: 07/11/05

News Link
http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewNation.a...05 0711b.html

Project Jason Gives Help, Hope to Missing Persons' Families

By Dawn Rizzoni

CNSNews.com Correspondent
July 11, 2005

(CNSNews.com) - Some missing persons cases, such as those involving Shasta and Dylan Groene and "runaway bride" Jennifer Wilbanks, have received extensive media coverage. But the disappearances of thousands of other people get little attention, and their loved ones receive little help and hope.

"Awareness of a missing person is often key to resolution of these cases," Kelly Jolkowski, founder and president of Project Jason, a non-profit organization focusing on the vast majority of missing persons cases that get little or no attention.

"The more often a missing loved one's face is seen, the greater the odds of location and reunion," Jolkowski said.

According to FBI statistics, 47,589 people have been listed as missing since May 1, although Jolkowski said such statistics are unreliable due to a large number of unreported incidents.

Since its inception in October of 2003, Project Jason has developed several methods to aid in finding missing persons, including "Adopt a Missing Person" and "18-Wheel Angels."

In the Adopt a Missing Person program, individuals of all ages send away for free literature, buttons, fliers and posters related to a particular missing person.

Participants then hand out the posters and fliers, wear buttons with photos of their adopted person and distribute information about the disappearance. To date, 1,156 "adoptions" of missing people have been made.

Another program is 18-Wheel Angels, in which truck drivers volunteer their time and resources to help locate a missing loved one. The drivers print out a featured poster from Project Jason's website (which changes posters every other month) and post them along their routes.

Dozens of families have benefited from Jolkowski's efforts, including the family of 24-year old Tamika Huston, who vanished from Spartanburg, S.C., a year ago.

"I spent many frustrated days and nights trying to contact national media regarding Tamika's disappearance," said her aunt, Rebkah Howard. "I felt as though it was imperative that her story be known as far and wide as possible in order to increase the chances of her coming home safely to us."

Howard contacted Project Jason for help. Jolkowski "listened and helped when so many others were simply not interested," Howard said. "She provided guidance and support and made extraordinary efforts to post Tamika's photo and information on various websites that feature the missing."

Tamika was also included in the Adopt a Missing Person program. "My sister, Tamika's mother, was particularly touched by the kindness of the strangers who would 'adopt' her daughter and keep her story alive by doing something as simple as wearing a pin bearing her photo," Howard said.

She added that Project Jason fills the gap that is left by lack of attention by national media. "There are thousands of missing persons in this country," Howard said. "The majority of them do not have the benefit of round-the-clock coverage on the various networks.

"Project Jason is there to serve all of these individuals and their families who are so desperate to find them. I find this to be amazing work for the mother of a young man who still remains missing to this day," she added.

Jolkowski's son Jason went missing at 19 years of age on June 13, 2001, from the family's driveway in Omaha, Neb., but Jason's story has attracted none of the national media attention that has been focused on other cases.

Jolkowski and Nebraska State Sen. Pat Bourne, were instrumental in getting Jason's Law passed -- a bill to create a statewide clearinghouse of information on missing persons and provide training and education to law enforcement officials.

To date, no individuals have been found through the project, but Jolkowski said she doesn't measure success by the number of people located. Instead, she said it is based on "how it makes the families of our missing loved ones feel when they know that others are now helping them.

"Many times in these cases, after law enforcement has sifted through the clues, and there are no more leads to follow, what is left is awareness and hope," she said. "Those are the sustaining gifts we provide to the families we service."

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI  [/hr]Original Post: 07/15/05

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USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...-persons_x.htm

Posted 7/14/2005 11:53 PM

Groups spotlight others missing

By Mark Memmott, USA TODAY

When Kelly Jolkowski's 19-year-old son Jason disappeared in 2001, she and her husband "had no idea what to do."
"We basically sat there and waited for the phone to ring" as Omaha police began to investigate, Jolkowski says. "We didn't know there were other resources out there."

She says at least 10 days were lost. Days they could have been distributing fliers, calling the media, holding vigils to attract TV cameras, contacting support groups, collecting information — steps that might have led them to Jason, who remains missing. At 19, he was too old for an AMBER Alert, the system first used in Dallas in 1996 and soon after across the nation to quickly publicize a child's disappearance.

What Jolkowski didn't know then, but which she and many other friends and family of the missing have unfortunately learned: There is a small but growing number of national organizations that try to help spread the word when anyone goes missing.

The help and advice such groups give, say Jolkowski and others who are going through the painful experience of missing someone, are invaluable.

Finding strength in numbers

Such groups are especially important, Jolkowski and others say, because the national media don't appear interested in all types of missing persons. Most of the media's attention goes to cases involving white women or white girls, such as 18-year-old Natalee Holloway of Alabama. She disappeared May 30 in Aruba.

Jolkowski, who decided to found one organization herself (Project Jason), says she now believes one of the most important things everyone should do is be prepared.

"If you are loved by someone you need to put together a personal identification kit. If you love someone, you need to put together a personal I.D. kit for them," she says. "People look at me like I'm nuts when I tell them that, but it's true."

There is a free "personal identification kit" at www.projectjason.org. It details the type of information and material to collect. Those include photos, hair samples for DNA and dental records.

The point of such kits: When distraught, loved ones may forget key bits of information that could help identify a missing person and help police when they're publicizing that person's description.

Two of the better known groups that assist families are the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and its sister organization, the National Center for Missing Adults. Both can publicize disappearances and advise families and loved ones on what to do.

"We don't investigate and we're not psychics," says Erin Bruno, one of the case managers at the Missing Adults center. The center can post information about a missing person on its Web site, put together press releases to generate publicity and offer advice to families on other ways to get attention.

John Walsh, host of the Fox network's America's Most Wanted, became a national advocate for missing persons after the 1981 kidnapping and murder of his 6-year-old son, Adam. He and his wife, Reve, co-founded the center for Missing & Exploited Children, and he supports the emergence of groups such as the Missing Adults center and Project Jason.

But, Walsh says, "while there may be tons more resources" since his son was killed, "the ranks are still so thin. We put up space shuttles for billions of dollars, but the FBI has tens of thousands of missing persons in its computers who no one is looking for."

Producers, editors and media critics agree that few missing persons cases get the kind of attention from the national media as that of Holloway.

Who gets the headlines?

That coverage, coming after national attention to the murder of Laci Peterson, the cross-country trip of "runaway bride" Jennifer Wilbanks and the rescue of Utah schoolgirl Elizabeth Smart, has also raised questions about the media. One question is whether the national media, especially cable networks, give too much attention to stories about missing young white women as opposed to cases involving minorities and men.

Robert Spellman, 27, of Los Angeles, disappeared April 12. His case has gotten so little attention that the National Center for Missing Adults recently used Spellman to illustrate a press release titled "Missing Men Need Coverage Too."

Thomas Hoeflaak, 56, went missing May 31. He was last seen in Grand Blanc, Mich. A friend, Leilah Ward of Ocala, Fla., is a spokeswoman for his family. "The first week you're in total disbelief," she says. "The second week you go from weepy to angry." His case also has been mostly ignored.

Also still waiting to find out what happened to their loved one are the friends and family of Tamika Huston. The 24-year-old black woman from Spartanburg, S.C., disappeared a year ago. Her case has gotten almost no national media attention.

After USA TODAY wrote about Huston's case June 16, and after America's Most Wanted reported about it in March and again June 25, Spartanburg police got some new leads but no breakthroughs, Lt. Steve Lamb of the department's criminal investigation division said in an e-mail to USA TODAY.

Huston's case is due for another round of media attention later this month, when Dateline NBC is planning to air a report. Dateline correspondent Josh Mankiewicz says "there's really no point in anyone trying to refute it." The national media spent "an inordinate amount of time on stories where the victims are attractive, young, white women."

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI

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Original Post: 07/15/05

Kelly Jolkowski will appear on the FOX Network news show Dayside at 12:30cst today.

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI

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Original Post: 07/15/05

There were also segments today on the Ron Thulin Show and Mike Gallagher's show:

http://www.mikeonline.com/site

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI

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Original Post: 07/24/05

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I will be a guest on the KWIX Morning Show on Monday, July 25th at about 8:30am CST. You can listen live at KWIX Live

This 30 minute talk covers a wide range of topics including: Jason's story, the history of Project Jason, our awareness programs, personal safety and preparation, and the media's coverage of missing person's cases.

Thank you.

Kelly Jolkowski, Mother of Missing Jason Jolkowski
President and Founder,
Project Jason
www.projectjason.org

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI

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Original Post: 07/30/05

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Project Jason was featured in the current issue of the National Center for Missing Adults newsletter "The Missing Voice".

The Come Home program, the first ever national missing locator program which seeks the missing among the homeless, is mentioned on page 5 of the newsletter.

On page 7 is a piece that I wrote for a family of a missing person who was struggling with the emotions surrounding having a missing loved one. I also used this piece as a basis for my keynote speech at the New York State Missing Person's Day earlier this year. The piece is called "Let no Stone Remain Unturned".

You can read the newsletter at:

Link to Newsletter

With Hope,
Kelly

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI

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Original Post: 08/01/05

A Project Jason Press Release


Blog About Missing Persons Contains “Inside Information”

Omaha, NE, August 1, 2005 -- Blogs exist that contain information about missing persons, but none are written with the firsthand knowledge and inside information of someone who works directly with the families of the missing. The blog, “Project Jason-Voice for the Missing”, is written by Kelly Jolkowski, who has experienced this tragedy herself, as her own son, Jason, has been missing without a trace for over 4 years.

Daily entries to the blog will take you inside the lives of the families of the missing. Readers can follow along as the never-ending stories unfold. Professionals who work in the field will also be given a voice, as they provide information in their area of expertise.

Frustrated by the lack of attention for all missing persons cases, nonprofit organization Project Jason founder Kelly Jolkowski wanted to find another way to fulfill their mission statement, which calls for them to create and increase awareness for these persons. Thousands of missing person’s cases do not get national attention, and may not even get local attention.

Recently featured in a USA Today article about lack of attention for missing person’s cases, particularly for missing males, Kelly hopes that the article, and now the blog, along with the outcry from other Internet sources, will help bring about change: “Awareness is the key to resolving these cases and reuniting the families. We have to help make them visible in order to accomplish this.”

On the blog, Kelly states: “We are the Voice for the Missing; speaking for those who are not among us but who are forever in our hearts. Through the eyes of those who experience this tragedy; the families of the missing, and through our own personal experiences, we'll share the pain, the fears, and the daily struggles.”

The blog can be viewed at http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/

Project Jason is a 501 (c ) 3 nonprofit organization based out of Omaha, NE. The all-volunteer group’s primary focus is awareness for missing person’s cases, support and resources for their families, and education of the public.

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI

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Original Post: 08/04/05

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Highly respected blogger Steve Huff spoke of the brand new Project Jason blog on his Twilight Kingdom blog today.

http://www.planethuf...ilight_kingdom/

"More Missing People in the Tropics, and a Note About Kelly & Jason


I must point you toward a new missing persons-related blog begun by Kelly Jolkowski. voice4themissing.blogspot.com is either a companion to or part of Kelly's Project Jason.

Kelly Jolkowski's son Jason, age 19, vanished on June 13, 2001. His brother Michael last saw Jason dragging trashcans up from the curb while Jason was waiting for a ride to his job. There is no reason to believe Jason is a runaway, but there are very few clues as to what did happen.

I quote now from Project Jason's mission statement:

Our mission as a non profit organization is to create and increase public awareness of missing people through a variety of outreach and educational activities. Project Jason seeks to bring hope and assistance to families of the missing by providing resources and support.

The mission also applies to Kelly's new blogspot blog.

Because Twilight Kingdom already gets a decent number of readers daily I want to quote from an e-mail Kelly sent me:

"It's so heartbreaking to try to get media attention for our families and strike out time after time. I know it is like a slap in the face to them when their cheek is already so raw. That is why I had to start this blog. I'll sneak in the back door if I have to and get the word out for these families in pain..."

The media can seem highly selective about this particular subject. You even hear reporters on various news channels discussing this criticism -- that some missing persons cases get more coverage than others -- and lamely defending lack of coverage because, say, "law enforcement doesn't suspect foul play" yet, or because the person may have simply run away.

Hopefully Kelly's move into blogging will be as wise as I think it is, and she will be able to bring more and more of these unjustly neglected cases forward. Because I do get a few hundred readers a day here right now, perhaps the word will spread, which is the reason I quoted from Kelly's e-mail. The families at the very least deserve the comfort of knowing that somewhere out there, complete strangers will still give a damn, whether their missing loved ones' face is plastered all over CNN or Fox or not."

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI  [/hr]Original Post: 08/12/05

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http://www.prolifeblogs.com/

Project Jason - Searching for the Missing

One of the newest members of ProLifeBlogs.com is the weblog of Project Jason which shares the stories of the lives of missing persons and their families.

Kelly Jolkowski, the founder of Project Jason, turned her own personal tragedy (the disapperance of her son Jason) into help and action for others. She states, "We are the Voice for the Missing; speaking for those who are not among us but who are forever in our hearts. Through the eyes of those who experience this tragedy; the families of the missing, and through our own personal experiences, we'll share the pain, the fears, and the daily struggles."

Recently featured in a USA Today article about lack of attention for missing person’s cases, particularly for missing males, Kelly hopes that the article, and now the blog, along with the outcry from other Internet sources, will help bring about change: "Awareness is the key to resolving these cases and reuniting the families. We have to help make them visible in order to accomplish this."

I share Kelly's hope and encourage pro-life bloggers to help Project Jason spread the word about individuals who, like Jason, are missing.

http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI  [/hr]Original Post: 08/18/05

Voice for the Missing
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com...-far-away.html

Jason's photo will be shown on a national TV show this Friday evening, August 19th. You can read the complete story on the Project Jason blog.

Thank you.

Kelly

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI  [/hr]Original Post: 09/03/05

Link to Story
http://www.racingwest.com/news/story.php3/12071/



Cause driven Youth living a dream
Steele Races for Missing Nebraska Youth


Tony Steele, of Glendale AZ accepts a challenge of a lifetime. Steele, at only sixteen years of age with many challenges ahead in his young life, has one huge one presently in front of him. “We can’t imagine what we will learn at the Nationals, most of the best drivers in the country will be competing in this event” Said Tony Steele.
http://www.racinginiowa.com/boonespeedway.html

Steele will be competing in the IMCA Super Nationals in Boone, IA. Boone Speedway is hosting stockcar racing at its finest with Hobby Stocks, Stocks, Late Models, Sprints and the Modifieds with car counts in the seven-hundred range. Racing starts on Monday September 5th through September 10th with tune up events for Steele at Beatrice Speedway, Nebraska Saturday night, September 3rd, and at Nebraska’s Raceway Park on Sunday, September 4th. http://www.neracewaypark.com

Veteran and standout driver/car owner Terry Shearer of Auburn, Nebraska will provide the experience necessary for Steele, as he will prepare a second IMCA hobby stock for action during the week of the Nationals. Steele, will be representing the Racing for the Missing (RFTM) Safety & Awareness program in Shearer`s #9TS Razor Chassis/Olds Cutlass. The photograph of missing Omaha youth, Jason Jolkowski, will adorn the hood of this racecar, and his family will be in attendance at both the Sunday and Monday night events.

Steele will have to literally out drive over one hundred of his competitors just to make it in to the main event held Saturday night September 10th. Pete Steele (Tony’s father) commented “This is the first step of many, Tony knows how to win and when we do this we can focus on winning the biggest race of Tony’s life to this point.” With the help of veteran racer and Nebraska resident Terry Shearer, the Arizona driver and his father will live one of many dreams in what they believe will be a long career in motorsports.

RFTM is a division of the Nations Missing Children’s Organization & Center for Missing Adults and aside from promoting safety in communities nationwide, RFTM`s mission is to increase the likelihood of a safe return of a missing child or “at risk” adult. We do this by positioning photographs of missing persons and law enforcement contact information on the most valued location on a racecar in high-visibility motor sports venues such as NASCAR, NHRA, USAC, and others. We provide support and encourage family involvement with teams and media trackside improving awareness and utilizing the team’s transporters as mobile billboards positively impacting the communities we travel through serving to protect and involve personal safety information at each event.

MISSING

Jason Anthony Jolkowski of Omaha Nebraska, disappeared June 13, 2001 Jason was last seen bringing in garbage cans at his residence after pickup. He was leaving to go meet a co-worker at the high school only 8 blocks away to get a ride to work but never arrived. He has not accessed his bank account and has not cashed checks from his employer.

http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/ga...hp?A200301135W

Jason is a white male, six foot one inches tall, weighing 165 pounds with brown hair, brown eyes and a light complexion. Jason was last seen wearing a white "Chicago Cubs" or "Sammy Sosa" t-shirt, black dress pants, blue "Cubs" cap, dress shoes, and also carrying red work shirt.

To learn more about Jason’s disappearance and how you can help others, go to these web sites for more information. www.Projectjason.org and www.theyaremissed.org

“We are so fortunate to have people like the Steele family working with us, together we are creating a safer place for our children.” said Darrell LaMoure, Co-Founder of RFTM and Program Manager.

We extend a special thank you to our friends at Nebraska Raceway Park and Boone Speedway for their support of the family of Jason Jolkowski. Each facility will provide Jason’s family with complementary VIP passes to the events and an opportunity to share their story with the people of Iowa & Nebraska. Thanks also to Justice Brothers, Meyer-Earp Chevrolet and Razor Chassis for all of their efforts on the Hobby Stock that Tony will pilot.

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI  [/hr]Original Post: 09/26/05

I posted the story of Jason as one of the featured missing persons on the Racing for the Missing program on the Project Jason blog. I have now also posted the follow-up story with photos.

http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com...in-motion.html

http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com...sults-and.html

Thank you.

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI

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Original Post: 10/04/05

Jason's Law is Launched

http://www.wowt.com/...es/1880507.html

Missing Adults
Information Clearinghouse


The Nebraska State Patrol has set up a clearinghouse to coordinate the search for missing adults. Information has been collected and now is available on a Web site maintained by the Patrol.

The patrol will collect and disseminate information on missing persons to help law enforcement agencies, public and private organizations and individuals hoping to find the missing.

Creation of the clearinghouse was approved this year by the Legislature. Thirty-eight other states have such clearinghouses.

The patrol has maintained a similar database of missing children.

The new site has pictures and information on three missing adults in Nebraska, but the patrol said more names are in the process of being added. The people posted are Michael Ashby of Omaha, missing since 1992; Regina Bos of Lincoln, missing since 2000; and Jason Jolkowski of Omaha, missing since 2001.

The Web site also links users to information about people missing from other states. The public can access the files through the Nebraska State Patrol's Web site.

The clearinghouse can also be reached by calling toll-free (877) 441-5678.

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI

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Original Post: 10/09/05

October 6th marked the two year anniversary of Project Jason. Several posts dating back to 10/5 on the Project Jason blog recap the the past year. Thank you for your support!

Kelly Jolkowski, Mother of Missing Jason Jolkowski
President and Founder,
Project Jason
http://www.projectjason.org
Read our Voice for the Missing Blog
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/

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Last edited by KellyJ : 10-09-2005 at 09:29 PM

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI  [/hr]Original: 10/15/05

Press Release from 411gina.org:

For Immediate Release: Oct 10, 2005

5 Year Disappearance of Lincolnite Brings Music, International Webcast and NASCAR!

In honor of: Gina Bos Missing since Oct. 2000

5th Annual “GINA Concert”

OCTOBER 16, 2005

2-4PM
Meadowlark Coffee House
1624 South Street
Lincoln, NE

Jannel Rap with Yvonne Perea

Local talent: Shawn Benjamin, Brian McDonald, Von Rap, Patty Sullivan, Leann and Tammy (Rap) Smith, Mick Damian, Mike Johnson & Steve Ekery

Profiling Midwest MISSING:

**Family members will be in attendance

**Gina Bos and **Melissa Schmidt-Lincoln, **Jason Jolkowski-Omaha, **Jackie Rains-Krachman-Columbus, **Erin Pospisil-Cedar Rapids, Molly Datillo-Indianapolis, Ashley Martinez-St Joseph, Justin Harris-Casper, Wyoming, Robert Thomas Pillsen-Rahier-Colorado Springs and April Wiss-Wichita

SPECIAL WEBCAST

Saturday Oct 22 from 10-12PM CST or 8-10 PST

Web Cast to highlight Gina and Midwest Missing. Tune in early to watch this interactive event! www.Kulakswoodshed.com

In Concert: Jannel Rap and the C Street Band, The Squirts and other Midwest Artists

NASCAR NOV 10, 2005

in honor of GINA Bos' Nov 4, 1959 Birthday! A larger than life image of Gina Bos on the hood of the Napa Auto Parts Chevy Monte Carlo in the NASCAR Elite Division Southwest Series #94. in front of a crowd of nearly 60,000 people.

ABOUT“G.I.N.A. (Greater Information Now Available) for Missing Persons: Over 100 GINA Concerts have been held from LA to NYC and most recently have evolved to a monthly LIVE WEBCAST. These concerts feature artists and the missing from their area of the country each month.

100’s of missing children and adults have been profiled on our Web sites, CD’s, America Lost and FOUND, Warrior’s for the Missing the GINA Concerts. Some of the missing have been brought home to their families.

For More Info: www.411Gina.org

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Last edited by KellyJ : 10-16-2005 at 01:04 AM.

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI  [/hr]Original Post: 11/02/05

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http://www.journalstar.com/articles/...6063081819.txt

Top Story:

Nebraska set to offer clearinghouse for missing adults

By GWEN TIETGEN / Lincoln Journal Star

When Kelly Jolkowski realized her son Jason had disappeared from their Omaha home just days before his 20th birthday, she felt like she was watching herself in a movie and couldn’t get out.

Numb. Paralyzed.

Jason was last seen June 13, 2001, by his brother, Michael.

“Somewhere between our driveway and the high school he disappeared,” said Jolkowski, noting his car was in the shop so a friend was picking him up for work. “Over four years later, we don’t really know a thing. A police sergeant (called it) the most baffling case he has seen in 30 years.”

Since then, Jolkowski has thrust her grief into looking for her son and helping others with missing loved ones. Profiles of some of Nebraska's missing

She helped push a law through the Legislature this year to create a statewide missing persons clearinghouse for adults and children. A Web site will complement the clearinghouse so all can see Nebraska’s missing. The information is set to go online in about a month, said Lt. John Shelton, with the Nebraska State Patrol.

Inside law enforcement, the new law means the names of both missing children and adults are forwarded to the Nebraska State Patrol. Those in law enforcement also receive a bulletin twice a month of all the state’s missing persons.

Prior to passage of the law, which took effect in September, law enforcement only passed on names of missing children younger than of 16.

“If it was an adult, it’s possible no one else would know they are missing unless you contact that department,” said Lincoln police Capt. Gary Engel.

The clearinghouse also will establish a procedure to alert local media outlets, said Cindy Kess, clearinghouse manager and supervisor in the State Patrol’s criminal identification division.

“It’ll be a work-in-progress, really, is what it’ll be,” she said.

Now, the State Patrol’s Web site links to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the National Center for Missing Adults Web sites.

Three missing adults and seven missing children from Nebraska pop up on those Web sites, but that’s a far cry from the 391 active missing persons cases in Nebraska as of Sept. 31, Kess said.

At any given time, Lincoln police investigate 50 to 75 missing adult and children cases, Engel said.

Most are found within a reasonable amount of time, and only half a dozen or so are long-term cases or are missing under suspicious circumstances, he said.

The most suspicious and notorious cases in Lincoln are those of Regina Bos and Melissa Schmidt.

Bos, who would now be 45, was last seen Oct. 17, 2000, outside a downtown Lincoln bar. Schmidt, who would now be 25, was last seen Sept. 5, 1995. She had stayed over at a friend’s home the night before, and the next day went to the Nebraska State Fair, Engel said. Investigators believe she came home from the fair and disappeared sometime afterward.

Jolkowski said the typical person has no idea where to turn after reporting a loved one missing. The notion of offering rewards or posting pictures of the missing person may be foreign to families who find themselves in the middle of a police investigation, she said.

To help, Jolkowski formed Project Jason.

“I think there’s a healing. A self-healing in reaching out and helping other people,” she said.

But helping others puts her on an emotional roller coaster, she said.

There are good days, like when media coverage of a missing person could lead to a tip that finds the loved one.

And there are bad days. In one week, Jolkowski found out two of the three families she had been working with were told their loved one had been murdered.

Sometimes, talking about missing people can make Jolkowski relive her own horrifying experience. Those times are starting to be less and less now, she said.

She goes on after hearing another grieving family member thank her for her help. And for caring.

“These people need that relief of talking to somebody who truly understands,” she said.

One night after a long conversation, a family member said simply, “‘I don’t even know you but I love you.’”

“I’m so blessed to get to do this work. It’s a privilege to help people and affect things in their lives, and we get to do it in our son’s name.”

Whether it’s help through Project Jason or the clearinghouse, awareness is the key, Jolkowski said.

“Because sooner or later you’re going to run across somebody who knows something,” she said.

Said the State Patrol’s Shelton: “Eventually, when the Web site is populated, it’ll put more eyes on the street for law enforcement to solve more of these missing persons (cases).”

On the Web

Project Jason, a nonprofit organization designed to help families cope and find their missing loved ones: www.projectjason.org.

Nebraska State Patrol: http://www.nsp.state.ne.us/ Click on Programs/Services

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: http://www.missingkids.com/

National Center for Missing Adults: http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/


http://www.theindependent.com/storie...issing30.shtml

Web-Posted Oct 30, 2005

Looking for the lost, missing
Not all cases are handled the same by officials


By Gretchen Fowler


From the 2001 abduction of a Kearney teenager to a massive search for two Ord natives lost in a snowstorm, missing persons cases in Nebraska over the past five years have made local, state and national news.
Not all cases are handled the same, and not all cases have a happy ending. Fortunately, even in the grimmest looking of circumstances, some of them do.

"Our attempts to locate, the majority of the time, come in the form of overdue parties," said Capt. Chris Kolb, who commands the Nebraska State Patrol's Troop C, which is based in Grand Island.

Such was the case when Kearney farmer Gerald "Jerry" Gillming, 52, was reported missing on Oct. 21 from his farmland near Gibbon. He didn't show up when expected and was reported missing by his family.

Gillming was found alive five days later in Kansas and returned home in good health. He claimed to have been abducted but admitted later that the story was made up.

Air and ground searches conducted for Gillming were similar to searches conducted for a missing Indiana woman whose abandoned car was found in Hamilton County this year. In both cases, law enforcement had a specific area to search, and in both cases, the search was called off when the area had been thoroughly covered.

"A lot of it is based on the information you have on hand and the resources available to use," Kolb said of the decision to initiate a full-scale search.

The situation's circumstances control what assets are put forward and how far the initial search goes, he said. When you exhaust immediate leads, he said, you sit back and wait for the next break that will lead you somewhere else. There is no set time for how long a physical search should continue.

"A lot depends on the circumstances and the information the reporting parties give you," Kolb said. "There are no set circumstances that somebody has to be gone X-number of hours."

The search in January for Ord natives Janelle Hornickel and Michael Wamsley began in Sarpy County when dispatchers received several 911 calls from the couple saying they were lost in a snowstorm. In that case, the search was centered around areas in which the couple believed they might be and areas near cell phone towers that picked up their calls for help.

That case, as well as the case of the missing Indiana woman, Gillming's case and the case of a Central City native who was reported missing in February, all involved volunteers from the general public.

Kolb said the Gillming incident is "indicative of the Nebraska spirit of cooperation and helping out fellow citizens."

He said it's nice to know that, when the need arises, people will leave their regular jobs and go out and help.

Many volunteers who helped search for missing persons in Nebraska this year did so on their own time. That assistance, Kolb said, is invaluable and very much appreciated.

"The number of people that you have betters your ability to cover a tract of land thoroughly so you can make sure you didn't miss anything," Kolb said.

When it comes to how long you should wait before reporting someone missing, Kolb said you need to look at the circumstances. Is it like that person to go somewhere without letting others know, is it like him or her to be late, and would that person call under normal circumstances?

When asked what a person can do to ensure his or her safety, Kolb said, "Be aware of your surroundings. One shouldn't live in fear, and I don't think someone has to live in fear in this part of the country."

If you're going somewhere you're nervous about, Kolb suggests taking a friend along or letting someone know where you'll be and when to expect you back. Take a cell phone with you when you're alone. If you perceive someone who is odd or paying extra attention to you, put yourself in the position to be around a number of people so there would be help readily available if something would happen.

A new clearinghouse designed to track missing adults in Nebraska was launched this month on the Nebraska State Patrol's Web site. Nebraska lawmakers created the Missing Person's Clearinghouse during the 2005 legislative session, with the passage of LB111.

The Nebraska State Patrol will serve as a central repository for information on missing persons. Information gathered is disseminated to assist law enforcement agencies, public and private organizations and the citizens of Nebraska in locating missing persons.
"The patrol has long maintained a database of missing children. The addition of missing adults will allow us to provide information for all Nebraska families searching for a missing loved one," said Col. Bryan Tuma, State Patrol superintendent.

The public can access information on missing persons in Nebraska by logging on to www.nsp.state.ne.us, clicking on "Programs/Services" in the left-hand menu column, then clicking on "NE Missing Persons."

The Nebraska Missing Persons Clearinghouse can be reached by calling (402) 479-4986 or (877) 441-LOST (5678).

Area missing persons cases in the news


Kearney teen Anne Sluti was 17 years old when she was abducted from a mall parking lot in Kearney on April 6, 2001. Witnesses reported the abduction to police. Sluti was held captive for six days by Anthony Zappa, also known as Anthony Steven Wright, a fugitive wanted for various crimes in five other states. Zappa surrendered after a 10-hour standoff with police at a remote cabin in Montana. He was sentenced in September 2002 to life in prison without parole. Sluti was returned safely to her family, and the story was featured on Court TV in 2004.

Jason Anthony Jolkowski of Omaha was 19 years old when he was reported missing. His whereabouts and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance are still unknown. Jolkowski's grandparents live in Grand Island, and his story was featured on the Montel Williams show in November 2004.

Ord natives Michael Wamsley and Janelle Hornickel, both 20 and of Omaha, got lost in a blizzard in rural Sarpy County in January 2005 and died from exposure to the elements before they could be found. The couple made several calls to 911 for help on Jan. 5. Massive air and ground searches were conducted in the area near Gretna. Wamsley's body was found on Jan. 6, and Hornickel's was found on Jan. 12, at a sandpit southwest of Omaha. The story was featured on ABC's "Primetime Live" in March.

Central City High School graduate Kendra Benham left friends on Feb. 4, 2005, to attend a party near the Southeast Community College-Beatrice campus, where she was a first-year student. She was reported missing on Feb. 7 when she failed to show up for classes. Air and ground searches were conducted in Gage and Jefferson counties, and her body was found on Feb. 10, along with her pickup, in a ravine in Gage County. Her death was ruled an accident.

Bradley Petersen, 28, of Grand Island was reported missing on March 13, 2005, by his wife, who hadn't seen him since he left for work the day before. Authorities tried calling his cell phone, which hit off a tower in rural Howard County. Air and ground searches were conducted, and Petersen was found in his pickup in a Howard County field. He tried to elude law enforcement by driving through fields and pastures but eventually surrendered. A small amount of methamphetamine and marijuana was found in his truck, Nebraska State Patrol Capt. Chris Kolb said.

Jennifer Zachman, 22, of Indiana was reported missing on July 8, 2005. The search for her began on July 14, when a vehicle with Indiana plates was found abandoned and out of gas in Hamilton County. A check of the license plate indicated that Zachman was driving the car. Air and ground searches were conducted in the area, but Zachman was not located. She was found alive by a motorist on Aug. 11. She had apparently been living under an Interstate 80 bridge near Grand Island for weeks.

Gerald "Jerry" Gillming, 52, of Kearney was reported missing by his family on Oct. 21 after disappearing from a rural farm pasture northwest of Gibbon. Air and ground searches were conducted on Oct. 22 and 23, and Gillming was discovered alive in Kansas on Wednesday. Gillming initially said he was abducted by three men and put on a train but later recanted the story. He returned home late Wednesday night in good physical condition. The incident remains under investigation.
Still missing

Name: Jason Anthony Jolkowski

Classification: endangered missing adult

Alias/nickname: J.J.

Date of birth: June 24, 1981

Date missing: June 13, 2001

From city/state: Omaha (His grandparents live in Grand Island.)

Age at time of disappearance: 19

Gender: male

Race: white

Height: 6 feet 1 inch

Weight: 165 pounds

Hair color: brown

Eye color: brown

Complexion: light

Clothing: White Chicago Cubs or Sammy Sosa T-shirt, black dress pants, blue Cubs cap, dress shoes and also carrying red work shirt

Circumstances of disappearance: unknown. Jason was last seen bringing in garbage cans at his residence after pickup. He was leaving to meet a co-worker at the high school only eight blocks away to get a ride to work but never arrived. He has not accessed his bank account and has not cashed checks from his employer.

Investigative agency: Omaha Police Department

Phone: Call (402) 444-5657 if you have any information that may be helpful in this case.

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI

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Original Post: 12/06/05

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Jason's photo and information will be shown on the Nancy Grace Show on CNN Headline News on December 16th.

Hope is like a candle burning in the darkness, lighting the way.

Kelly Jolkowski, Mother of Missing Jason Jolkowski
President and Founder,
Project Jason
http://www.projectjason.org
Read our Voice for the Missing Blog
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI

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Original Post: 12/13/05

We remember Jason, gone 4 1/2 years today.

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI  [/hr]Original Post: 12/13/05

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http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/2073506.html
(with video)

Vigil Of Hope
Family tries to keep awareness alive


A Tuesday evening candle-light vigil of remembrance for Amber Harris sparks hope for the family of the 12-year-old girl last seen two weeks ago at 20th and Pinkney.

One mother at the vigil understands what the Harris family is going through.

Kelly Jolkowski's son disappeared four and a half years ago.

"There are a lot of emotions," she said. "Guilt, anger…very normal things and that's what we help families deal with."

Jolkowski's son Jason was 19 when he vanished on June 13, 2001. He was on his way to meet a friend in Benson for a ride to work.

His photo is just below that of Amber Harris' on the Nebraska page of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

He's listed as missing with a composite picture of what he might look like today.

Harris is labeled as an endangered runaway.

"These people are going through an awful time now," Jolkowski said.

Her family didn't have many places to turn for help, so they founded projectjason.org to do for others what wasn't done for them.

Jolkowski says the goal is to help people remember the person is still missing and keep their story alive.

The vigil was one way the family can keep up the awareness.

Jolkowski says the next step is to broaden the wings of the story and use the resources to get the national media involved.

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving, November 29, is the last night anyone saw Amber.

She was getting off the school bus. Late on Wednesday, November 30, Omaha police issued their first call for the public's help but insist they suspect no foul play.

On Sunday, December 4, police were going door-to-door searching the neighborhood for clues.

The family announced a reward fund on December 6, but no new leads emerged.

Police searched with a helicopter December 11 with no luck.

The reward fund doubled to $2,000 the next day thanks to efforts of friends.

Police continue to ask for help from anyone who may know anything about Amber's whereabouts. Anyone with information should call 402-444-5656.

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI  [/hr]Original Post: 01/16/06

We're pleased for Lorne's & James' families that they were one of several featured missing adults in this Boston Globe article. This is great media coverage for them and the other mentally ill missing adult males who are ignored by the media.

Both Lorne's and James' stories were found by the reporter on the Project Jason Voice for the Missing blog. He then made contact with the families. This personally makes me happy because the reason I started the blog was out of frustration at these cases being ignored by the media over and over again. We are finally heard!

Michael Jarvi, Patrick Bowman, and Michael Hogan have also been featured on the blog and/or on our awareness programs.

We want to thank the reporter, Scott Allen, for his care of concern in doing the story. He was quite sincere in his compassion. May the story bring the needed answers for these families.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/hea...01/16/missing/

Missing

Thousands of mentally ill people vanish every year, barely noticed except by families and friends

By Scott Allen, Globe Staff | January 16, 2006

Lorne Boulet Jr.'s disappearance came without warning. The childlike, schizophrenic man left his New Hampshire home for a walk one summer afternoon more than four years ago and simply never returned.

James Rowe veered between giddiness and sobs in his last phone conversation with his sister as he described the way a July 2004 conference on personal growth had changed him. Over the next few days, the Colorado restaurant owner abandoned his vehicle, shaved his head, and walked into the woods -- and his family hasn't heard from him since.

Michael Hogan, a shy man with obsessive compulsive disorder, left his job in Vermont one day, saying he needed to be alone. Eight months later, his mother is still so convinced he will call that she's left this message on her answering machine: ''Michael, if this is you, please let me know how I can contact you. . . . I miss you so much."

Boulet, Rowe, and Hogan are among thousands of mentally ill men and women who disappear each year -- barely noticed outside of their families and a clutch of organizations devoted to keeping their hopes alive. Their advocates believe that most of the 8,000 missing adults listed by the FBI as ''endangered" or ''disabled" suffer from some kind of mental illness and may have experienced a psychological break with reality that prompts them to abandon their former lives or attempt suicide.

The missing tend to be men, and their mental health problems run the gamut from sudden breakdowns in the face of adversity to chronic illnesses such as schizophrenia, which can cause delusions or feelings of paranoia. Bipolar disorder, which causes wide mood swings, also accounts for some of the disappearances; its victims follow unpredictable impulses.

PHOTO GALLERY: Missing and mentally ill

''Usually there is some sort of inner logic" when people with mental illness flee, ''even though it seems strange to other people," said Dr. Dost Ongur, director of the schizophrenia and bipolar disorder program at McLean Hospital. ''They might say they need to enroll in the armed services because they really need to go to Iraq to help America when everybody else says, 'You're 65 and you've got a bad back. It doesn't sound like a good idea.' "

The disappearance of an adult -- especially a man -- doesn't usually trigger the intensive communitywide searches that law enforcement agencies launch for missing children. Their disappearance doesn't automatically stir fears of foul play, so police are sometimes slow to investigate thoroughly. And adults can legally leave their lives behind, even if they are not thinking clearly.

''An adult has the right to be missing," said Roy Weise, senior adviser at the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services, which maintains the national list of missing people. ''The wife may think he's missing, but he may be right where he wants to be." Hospitals and homeless shelters, which often house mentally ill people, are caught in a bind, too, needing to protect clients' privacy when desperate loved ones inquire about them. ''If a family member calls me up and says, 'I'm looking for my brother,' we will get a message to that person," said John Yazwinski of Father Bill's Place homeless shelter in Quincy. But, he adds, it's up to the shelter resident whether to respond.

As a result, family members can feel like they're carrying out the search by themselves, circulating ''missing" flyers, maintaining websites, raising reward money, and passing along tips to law enforcement officials.

Louise Holmburg of Bristol, N.H., has turned her van into a traveling billboard about her nephew Boulet, complete with his picture on the side and an e-mail address (findlorne@yahoo.com) for tips. She said people often assume that because Boulet is 25 and weighs more than 200 pounds, he can take care of himself, but ''he's a kid at heart. . . . My best guess would be that his mind got the best of him and he walked away."

Holmburg, like other relatives of missing people with mental illness, is bitter at the lack of public interest compared with the intense focus on sensational cases like ''runaway bride" Jennifer Wilbanks, who initially claimed she had been abducted before admitting she fled because of anxiety about her wedding.

Officials at Project Jason, a Nebraska organization that spotlights missing people, said the media have covered only one of their last seven press releases about a missing adult, most of whom have mental illness.

Once mentally ill people leave their home area, advocates say, they're unlikely to be located unless police stop them by chance and run their name through the FBI's National Criminal Information Center, which has a list of missing people that is available only to law enforcement agencies.

The private National Center for Missing Adults maintains the most extensive publicly available list (www.theyaremissed.org), but its site includes only about 1,173 names, and only a fraction of those are mentally ill.

''Not only is it like looking for a needle in a haystack, but there's a million haystacks and you're blindfolded," said Kelly Jolkowski, founder of Project Jason (www.projectjason.org), named after her 19-year-old son, who did not have a history of mental illness but disappeared from his Nebraska driveway in 2001. ''There really aren't a lot of resources for missing adults."

Many families get discouraged about the lack of progress -- and even interest -- in finding their loved one. People who have been diagnosed with mental illness are likely to be off their medications, making them more unpredictable as the weeks drag on -- and more likely to hurt themselves. Up to 40 percent of people with schizophrenia attempt suicide at some point, and people with major mental illnesses are more likely to abuse drugs, putting their safety further at risk.

James Bowman of Kiamesha Lake, N.Y., suspects that his son is dead, a year and a half after he left their home in the middle of the night. Patrick Bowman, who would now be 47, suffers from bipolar disorder, which subjected him to wide and unpredictable mood swings, his father said, a problem made worse by a cocaine addiction.

''Whatever happened to him is limited only by your imagination," said the elder Bowman. ''The only thing I want is that he's not suffering."

FBI officials said the situation for families is far from hopeless. Law enforcement agencies check their database 5 million times daily, including for routine background checks of people stopped for traffic violations. Agency officials estimate that police checks of the FBI list helped in the recovery of 50,000 missing adults and children last year, though only a small fraction of that number were mentally ill adults.

Police say they take the disappearance of adults very seriously when there are doubts about the person's safety. For instance, Corpus Christi, Texas, police conducted helicopter searches of a remote beach last month where a depressed man abandoned his car after leaving a suicide note. Samuel Young Chong had dropped out of college without telling his parents, who apparently triggered Chong's disappearance when they came for what they believed would be his graduation.

Mike Walsh, commander of criminal investigations for the Corpus Christi police, said, ''We were expecting, based on the rhetoric, that we were going to find a body. Instead, police ultimately traced Chong to Los Angeles, allowing a relative to find him at an Internet cafe there and persuade him to return home.

But for every missing person like Chong, whose case has a happy ending, there are many more like Michael Jarvi of Naselle, Wash., a man with schizophrenia last seen before he abandoned his Ford Escort in an Oregon trailer park in March 2002. His parents received word from a DVD club recently that Jarvi's membership has been paid through April 2005, suggesting that he's still alive, but most of the other supposed tips have gone nowhere.

''How do you even guess where he is?" said Jarvi's father, James Jarvi. ''Every day you think about it, but you've just got to hope for the best."

Kelly Jolkowski, Mother of Missing Jason Jolkowski
President and Founder,
Project Jason
http://www.projectjason.org
Read our Voice for the Missing Blog
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI  [/hr]Original Post: 02/13/06

The following is a piece you can copy and paste into an email and send to your friends:

"Your assistance is needed for an email campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to ask the Omaha, NE CBS affiliate, KM3, to move the Missing show to a better timeslot. Missing is a 30 minute syndicated show which features profiles of missing persons from all over the USA. (see www.usamissing.com)

Missing is currently on the programming schedule at 4:30am on Saturdays. In order for a show like this to be effective, it needs to be moved to a better timeframe. Finding missing persons is more important than generic, repeated news and infommercials. It's a proven fact that the more people see the face of the missing person, the greater the odds of location.

Two missing persons from Omaha will be featured on the Missing show in the near future. Jason Jolkowski's information will be shown on March 4th. Missing Amber Harris' profile is scheduled for the March 11th show.

We need your help to communicate the importance of a better airtime for the Missing show. Please write to KM3 and ask them to move this show to increase the odds for Amber and Jason. More viewers equals increased potential to solve these cases and bring them home to their loved ones.

KM3's email address is feedback@action3news.com

Thank you."

Kelly Jolkowski, Mother of Missing Jason Jolkowski
President and Founder,
Project Jason
http://www.projectjason.org
Read our Voice for the Missing Blog
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI  [/hr]Original Post: 02/14/06

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http://www.ketv.com/news/7055771/detail.html

Web Site Aims To Bring Missing Home
Patrol Creates Missing Persons' Clearinghouse

POSTED: 5:11 pm CST February 14, 2006
UPDATED: 5:24 pm CST February 14, 2006


OMAHA, Neb. -- The Nebraska State Patrol is working to make it easier to bring missing persons home with a missing persons clearinghouse Web site that went online last month. Now, weekly updates go out from the patrol to the media on new cases in the state.

Investigators said the Web site is still a work in progress, but they believe it's one more way to help the missing.

"We update the Web site as soon as we get the information," said the patrol's Lt. John Shelton.

Shelton said the site has all the current missing persons in the state. Some include a photo. All of them give a physical description of the person, their age and other data.


"It's going to give basic information as to the events on the disappearance of the person," Shelton said.

Included on the site are some names ripped from the headlines, including Brendan Gonzalez, Amber Harris and Jason Jolkowski. Kelly Jolkowski, Jason's mother, was instrumental in making sure the need for the clearinghouse was clear to Nebraska lawmakers. She helped push through LB 111.

"Once the law went into effect, that gave us some resources to create all this," Shelton said.

The patrol is working with families of the missing to get more photos online. The tool has high hopes behind it as families work to bring loved ones home.

"Anytime you get more eyes on from the public, it can help us get that information out better, and that many more eyes looking for that person may lead to a resolution to the case," Shelton said.

The Nebraska State Patrol had a missing persons clearinghouse before LB 111, but it contained just children, and the public did not have access.