Assistance for Families of the Missing

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Kelly

Founder, Project Jason
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I will post various items here in case families of the missing are reading this forum. I have more to post, and will return as soon as I can to add more.

This is an excerpt from my last email newsletter:

Dear Families,


The Holidays put extra stress on the average person, but those of us who have a missing loved one experience additional stress brought on by the fact that we live in the “not knowing”. TEAM Hope (a volunteer arm of NCMEC which provides a one-on-one volunteer for families of missing persons under age 21. www.teamhope.org ) has given permission for me to publish “Coping with the Holidays”. As it is a lengthy article, I have posted it on our forum. If you would like to read it, please click here: http://www.truckingboards.com/trucking/upload/showthread.php?p=120691#post120691

Opportunities for Media Attention:

I was sent the link to a future NBC show called Solve My Case. They are taking submissions at http://solvemycase.com/case/?q=home
I do not know anything more about this show, or how certain it is that they are going into production, but it is worth the few minutes it will take to fill out the application just in case.

I was also informed that Geraldo Rivera is planning a segment on missing persons for his At Large show on Fox News. The Submit Story form is here: http://www.geraldoatlarge.com/submit-story.php?PHPSESSID=344bb167b452780f8bfa6af9160efa4a

Project Jason is now a referring agency for "Missing," the nationally-syndicated weekly series from Telco Productions, Inc. The show's website is www.usamissing.com . This is a weekly show which features profiles of the missing, both children and adults. If your missing loved one has not been on this show before, please submit their information to me, and I will send it on to the show’s producers. Production begins again in January.

To submit your missing loved one for the show, please send a separate email with the subject line “Missing Show”. In your email, include the missing person's name, physical description, at least one recent photograph, date, location and circumstances of their disappearance, and contact information for the agency working on the case. It is especially helpful if there is a webpage included to link from the show's website. The show can use additional pictures (including age progressions, associated vehicles, etc.), videos and other descriptive materials. They prefer to receive photographs with 72dpi jpeg files being the preferred format. (I can help with the latter if you are not sure how to size photographs.)

“Missing” is broadcast in the following markets: http://www.usamissing.com/findus.htm If your city is not in the viewing area, you may want to petition your local station(s) to air the show.

Project Jason is grateful to the producers of “Missing” for giving us this opportunity for awareness for our missing loved ones, and especially our adult cases, which often do not receive the media attention deserved.

Awareness Program News:

Project Jason’s Adopt a Missing Person program was recently in the news in Ohio when volunteers at Ashland University held their second annual Adopt a Missing Person Campaign. Last year, 432 missing person on the program were adopted by students and staff. This year, the students tripled that number and arranged 1,511 adoptions. They continue to work on expanding the program to other schools.

The Voice for the Missing blog continues to gain readership. Certain media, including national outlets, are reading the stories there, and recently one of the stories resulted in a major newspaper interview for a family.

If your story has not yet been featured on the blog, and you feel you would be able to complete a set of detailed written interview questions via email, please let me know. The main goal of the blog is to bring awareness for cases ignored by mainstream media, and to educate the public in regards to the issues surrounding missing persons. The link to the blog is in my signature.

With Hope,

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/
kelly.jolkowski@projectjason.org
 
Kelly, I hope you don't mind my adding to this. I have gradually been accumulating bookmarks to various sites that work with the missing. I don't claim to know anything about the sites, their effectiveness or anything but thought that I would add them. Each site will have their own rules for submission. Some you have to join, some the families have to be the ones to add a post, some require LE to submit the info, and some anyone can do the posting. Not all sites will be appropriate, and not all sites will fit all cases.

http://www.doenetwork.us/

http://www.missingkids.com/

http://www.charleyproject.org/

http://www.angelsmissing.com/forum/

http://www.wmco.org/

http://www.missingusa.net/Boards/index.html

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.missing-adults

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.missing-kids

http://www.hope4themissing.org/

http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/

http://www.nampn.doenetwork.us/

http://www.outpostforhope.org/

http://www.rinokids.com/Children/

http://www.missingexploited.com/

http://audreymayherron.expage.com/id26.html

http://www.the-seeker.com/

There are other sites out there too that work with the missing in various ways. It might be a good idea to list them so that if they are needed in the future, we will have them referenced.
 
Hello everyone,

Previously, I sent out an invitation via email for families of the missing we have contact with about a regular online chat we sponsor. We want to make this available for other families we haven't had contact with as well. You you may be interested in a special guest who will be in our chat. The letter below was sent to our regular chatters recently.

If you are interested in coming to this online chat, please let us know, and we will include you in the email list that will contain the details of the chat and where to go on the Internet.

We are working on other special guests for future chats, so it would certainly be beneficial for you to be on the mailing list so you are aware of what we're offering. (for family members of missing persons only)

Let me know if you would like to be on the email list for chat events by writing to kelly.jolkowski@projectjason.org. Please use Family Member Chat in the subject line of your email.

My recent letter:


I have excellent news for you!

We have arranged for a special guest for the next Project Jason Family Member Chat. His name is Duane Bowers, and he is a nationally known and respected grief and trauma counselor. He also specializes in the type of loss faced by families of the missing, and is one of only two known counselors who have in depth case knowledge of our special needs. He is in fact, finishing the very first book on this specific topic. We are very privleged to have him come and join us, because, as you might imagine, he has a very full schedule.

The chat date will change due to his other committments. Instead of being on Tuesday, September 26, (Tuesday is our regular night) the chat will be held on Wednesday, September 27th, at 7:30pm Central Time. Most likely, the chat will be very full, as I will be re-inviting the other families of the missing we serve. I suspect that most will want to join us. Because of this, the chat will be very structured. I will send out details as we get closer to the date.

In the meantime, mark your calendars and be thinking of questions you would like to ask him about dealing with the emotional aspect of having a missing person in your life.

Here is his bio:

Duane T. Bowers, LPC is a grief therapist and educator in private practice, and author of Guiding Your Family Through Loss and Grief. As a therapist Duane’s specialty is working with survivors of traumatic death and suicide, which includes assisting families who must identify loved ones at the DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, through the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing. He also provides support to families of abducted, missing, exploited and murdered children through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

In addition, Duane serves as a training consultant to NCMEC, and is deployed by them to provide crisis intervention at Amber Alert sites with Team Adam. He also serves as a consultant and trainer for Team HOPE, a telephone support line for parents of missing children, and has provided services to AMECO (Association of Missing and Exploited Children Organizations).

As an educator, Duane teaches seminars nationally, internationally and regionally on dying, death and grief, as well as trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and traumatic loss. He has served as an Adjunct Professor of Counseling at Trinity College in Washington DC, and has been an invited guest lecturer for graduate and undergraduate classes at the University of Maryland, Howard University, University of the District of Columbia, Johns Hopkins University, George Washington University and Gallaudet University.

Duane is responsible for the clinical supervision and training of staff and volunteers for a variety of organizations that deal with trauma and loss, and serves as an on-call hospice bereavement counselor. He served as the Director of Training and Education at the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing in Washington DC, and was the Senior Director of Emergency and International Services for the National Capital Chapter of the American Red Cross. Duane spent three months during the summer of 1999 in Macedonia/ Kosovo/Albania supervising family reunification work in camps with war refugees.

In September 2001, Duane responded to the Pentagon immediately following the terrorist attack on September 11th, providing support to rescue and recovery workers. He continues to volunteer with the Red Cross as a Disaster Mental Health Technician, and with the Capital Area Crisis Response Team as a therapist, educator, and as a member of the Board of Directors.


Many blessings,

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/
 
The transcript from the Project Jason Family Member Chat with guest Duane Bowers has been posted.

Chat Transcript

We will have more chats with various guests, so if you are a family member, and are interested in participating, please contact me.
 
Coping with the Holidays when Someone You Love is Missing

For help with coping with the holiday season, please read our blog entries here:

Part I: Project Jason-Voice for the Missing: 11/18/06 Coping with the Holidays When Someone You Love is Missing, Part I

Part II: Project Jason-Voice for the Missing: 11/18/06 Coping with the Holidays When Someone You Love is Missing, Part II

(These entries will also be helpful for someone who has lost a loved one through death.)

Kelly Jolkowski,
Mother of Missing Jason Jolkowski
President and Founder, Project Jason
Project Jason - Assistance for families of the missing
Read our Voice for the Missing Blog
Project Jason-Voice for the Missing
 
Good Day,

The announcement you see below my signature is in regards to Project Jason's latest benefit for families of the missing, in partnership with the Missing People Podcast. A podcast is simply an audio (sound) file found on the internet. You can listen to the files through any number of devices, such as an IPOD or a MP3 Player. You can also hear them on your computer when connected to the internet, using software such as QuickTime, RealPlayer, or Microsoft Media Player. Most computers will already have one or more of the latter installed. Goals of the podcast include creating awareness for missing persons, educating the public and other persons who have involvement in missing persons cases.

For families of the missing, other organizations or groups who might refer interested family members to us, the following is a description of the various available programs and how families and professionals in our field can participate:

Portraits of the Missing:

These are shorter audio pieces, generally lasting 5-8 minutes. Families of the missing can share the basic story of their loved one's disappearance, or perhaps even a letter directed to the missing loved one. Voice talents will record the family's story. If a family would like their missing loved one featured in Portraits, but they are not comfortable with writing the story, we can record a conversation which will be edited and then recorded by voice talents.

You can hear examples of Portraits of the Missing by going to the website, and then clicking on an audio file: http://www.lumospub.com/portraitsofthemissing.html

Interviews:

This segment contains full length audio interviews (one hour or more) with family members of a missing person and/or professionals in our field. We'll call and conduct these interviews over the phone, editing them afterwards. (There are no live interviews.)

To hear examples of interviews, please click here: http://www.lumospub.com/interviews.html

Programs:

Programs are full length. (one hour or more) Programs are dramatized stories of the missing. For families who may not be comfortable with the interview process, Programs may be a good option for them. Families could either write their story, or we can record it. We will then transcribe it and voice talents will record it. This is similar to Portraits, but is longer and a more complete story whereas Portraits focus on a certain aspect of the missing loved one's story.

You can listen to programs here: http://www.lumospub.com/programs.html

Other Podcast Segments:

A weekly news show will be produced beginning this week. This news show will feature current news on missing persons as chosen by the volunteer staff members. Older cases will also be included on this show. Other segments in development include pieces on missing persons legislation and audio which can be used by law enforcement for training purposes.

Missing People Podcast is co-hosted by Kelly Jolkowski and Steve Bronnum. You can read the bios here: http://www.lumospub.com/yourhosts.html Steve, Kelly, and the volunteer staff of the Missing People Podcast ensure a comfortable interview process for you and a quality product when the audio file is ready to be made public on the site.

New audio files are added to the site on a regular basis, so check back often. http://www.missingpeoplepodcast.com (Bookmark this site)

To Participate:

If you would like your missing loved one's story featured on the Missing People Podcast, please send me an email with your missing loved one's name and the type of segment you're interested in, (Portraits, Interviews, or Programs) in the subject line. Interviews are generally conducted in the evenings. There is a waiting list, so we ask for your patience in getting back to you to schedule your missing loved one's podcast.

We also seek interviews with professionals in the cause to discuss pertinent issues and share information that may helpful for families of the missing. Please contact us for more details.

As always, with hope for all of our missing loved ones,

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/


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:


TECHNOLOGY LENDS A HAND TO THE THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES SEARCHING

FOR MISSING LOVED ONES


Missing People Podcasts Highlight Individual Stories, Helpful Resources

and Important Related Legislative Issues


OMAHA, NE—(March 17, 2007) Project Jason, a non-profit organization, announced today that it has created a partnership with the Missing People Podcast (MPP) to develop audio programming for missing people and the families who are urgently searching for them. The podcasts will feature a variety of subjects, including vital information regarding the circumstances surrounding a person’s disappearance and significant legislative efforts throughout the country that may impact the families.

Very few people would think of the number of missing persons in America as a crisis. The statistics, however, are sobering. In the United States alone, there are as many as 105,000 active missing person’s cases. Every year, tens of thousands of people vanish under suspicious circumstances. The number of missing persons can be estimated in the hundreds of thousands if viewed over a 20-year period.1

“I think it is very important to utilize whatever resources are available to help these families,” says Steve Bronnum, President of MPP, “We bring a true voice to the families of the missing and all those who care about them. Technology is helpful in so many ways and my greatest hope is to use it to bring some information to families desperate for news of their loved ones.”

The MPP programs will include a “News and Alerts” section focused on recent developments related to missing people and alerts about recently missing people. The “Portraits of the Missing” section provides profiles of specific missing persons. The “Interviews” segment is a dialogue with family members of the missing and experts in the field and, the “Programs” section will include voice talents telling the stories of the missing.

“This is a critical development in helping families locate their missing loved ones,” says Kelly Jolkowski, mother of Jason Jolkowski and founder of Project Jason, “As with any program that we support, our partnership with MPP is focused on the most important thing in all missing person cases – awareness.”

The MPP audio content is available for download or streaming on the internet with future plans for subscription podcasting and CD production. For more information, visit the website at http://www.missingpeoplepodcast.com

1 Ritter,N. Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains: The Nation’s Silent Mass Disaster, NIJ Journal, NO.256, January 2007


About Project Jason

Project Jason was founded by the family of Jason Jolkowski after his disappearance on June 13, 2001. The nonprofit's mission 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. Project Jason is also responsible for presenting Jason’s Law, which passed on May 25, 2005. Jason’s Law allows for the creation of a Nebraska state missing person’s clearinghouse to gather and disseminate information about all missing persons. For more information, please visit www.projectjason.org


# # #



CONTACT: Kelly Jolkowski

402-932-0095

Kelly.jolkowski@projectjason.org
 
Part II of the series, Considering a Private Investigator, has been posted on the Project Jason Voice for the Missing blog. The purpose of this series is to provide families of the missing with enough information to be able to make a good decision about hiring a private detective to work on their missing loved one's case.

You may read part II here:
Project Jason-Voice for the Missing: 4/15/07 Considering a Private Investigator, Part II

Kelly Jolkowski, Mother of Missing Jason Jolkowski
President and Founder,
Project Jason
Project Jason - Assistance for families of the missing
Read our Voice for the Missing Blog
Project Jason-Voice for the Missing
 
Healing Harbor: A Free Counseling Service offered by Project Jason

Project Jason is pleased to announce the opening of Healing Harbor.

Healing Harbor is a free service provided to families of the missing by nonprofit organization Project Jason and Duane Bowers, LPC.

Families of the missing suffer a unique tragedy, one with which many professional counselors do not have the training or experience to be able to properly service their clients. In addition, many families do not have the financial means to seek professional counseling. Duane is one of the nation’s most qualified counselors in regards to issues faced by these families, and we are honored to have him with us to answer your questions.

Healing Harbor can provide answers and assistance on a variety of emotional issues that effect family members of missing persons. This assistance may provide the boost needed for that family member to deal with and adapt to the situation without seeking counseling. (Please keep in mind that Healing Harbor should not be viewed as a substitute for individual, private counseling if needed.)

Families of the missing who elect to participate in Healing Harbor are invited to post their question to Duane in our private forum area. These questions may cover any topic of interest in respect to emotional issues that relate to having a missing person in their life.
If you are a family member of a missing person, and would like to take advantage of this service, please register at our forum, located at http://www.projectjason.org/dpforum/forum.php

After registration, simply follow the instructions in the verification email you will receive, and then let us know that you have registered, so we can grant permissions for you to enter the special forum area. Email us with your username, the name of the missing loved one, and your relationship to them. After verification, we’ll open up access to Healing Harbor to you.

The Healing Harbor forum is: http://projectjason.org/dpforum/forum_display.php?id=25
Posting Guidelines, FAQ's, and other pertinent information: http://projectjason.org/dpforum/forum_display.php?id=26
The Waiting List and Questions area: http://projectjason.org/dpforum/forum_display.php?id=27

We hope that you will find healing in our safe harbor.

With Hope for all of our Missing Loved Ones,

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/
 
I have re-written our services and benefits statement:

Project Jason is a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization, and was established on October 6, 2003. Our organization primarily focuses on case assessment, resources, and support for families of the missing. We are not an investigative agency, nor do we perform searches. We offer services we are trained to provide. I handle all interactions with family members, and have over 100 hours of professional training in various aspects of missing persons, including emotional support, DNA, support tools, databases and related matters, case management, media interaction, and more.

All of our services are free. As a nonprofit organization, we depend on the generosity of the public to support us, so that we can continue this very important work. We ask that this support come from other members of the community, rather than the families of the missing.

Our services to families include:

Case Assessment: We take a look at the case, what has been done, and is being done, and make suggestions to ensure that certain necessary steps that the family or Law Enforcement should take have not been missed. We may also then refer that family to other trustworthy organizations, based upon the results of the assessment.

Awareness Programs:

18 Wheel Angels: Bi-monthly poster dissemination campaigns aimed at truck drivers and business travelers. It includes a listing of the featured missing persons in a national trucking publication, Through the Gears.

Adopt a Missing Person: Personalized awareness campaign in which photo buttons of the missing person and a personal biography written by family members are used to create and increase awareness.

Come Home: Bi-monthly personalized poster dissemination campaigns targeting missing person cases wherein there is evidence that the person may be living a homeless lifestyle. Poster links are emailed to participating homeless shelters nationwide who then print and place the poster in their shelter.

Voices for the Missing: Audio interviews done with families of the missing wherein they tell their stories.

Voice for the Missing Blog: Stories about missing persons along with a variety of educational information are shared.

More Services for Families:

We will create and upload a poster for the missing person and can also help them with media contacts and press releases. We provide them with emotional support and help them become empowered to seek new avenues for awareness. We place the photo of the missing person on our main website and keep a ongoing thread for updates and information on our forum. With an average of 700 website hits per day and climbing, this is also a valuable tool for awareness.

Healing Harbor: Healing Harbor is the only free online counseling service for families of the missing. One of the nation's most respected and knowledgeable counselors in the area of the emotional needs of families of the missing, Duane Bowers, provides answers and assistance via our private forum.

Family Member Forums: These private family member-only forums, provide families of the missing a way to meet and network with other family members, sharing their stories and offering each other support and additional tools for dealing with having a missing person in their lives.

Other Services:

Campaign for the Missing: This is a grassroots effort to pass legislation in each and every state that can positively effect the outcome of missing persons cases. Project Jason serves as the facilitator for this campaign, and mentors each volunteer through the process in their state.

Law Enforcement Training: Free audio training on various topics designed to provide critical information to law enforcement, with the goal of dramatically improving the number of resolved cases. This information will also be helpful to coroners, medical examiners, and the families of the missing.

Personal ID Kit: A free downloadable Personal ID Kit is provided by Project Jason in both English and Spanish. The kit contains a list of the first steps to take in the event your loved one is missing, plus valuable information that law enforcement will need. We encourage every member of the family to have one completed. No one is immune from becoming a missing person, and when it happens, every minute counts.

Project Jason Forum: Our forum provides a wide variety of news and support information about missing persons and related issues. We also provide safety information for all ages.

Project Jason: http://www.projectjason.org/

Project Jason Forum: http://projectjason.org/dpforum/forum.php

Project Jason Voice for the Missing blog: http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/

Contact us at:

information@projectjason.org
OR
402-932-0095

We are the Voice for the Missing; speaking for those who are not among us but who are forever in our hearts.

Kelly Jolkowski, Mother of Missing Jason Jolkowski
President and Founder,
Project Jason
 
A Project Jason Announcement:

Good Day,

Project Jason is pleased to announce an increase in monthly campaigns on our awareness program, the 18 Wheel Angels. Currently, two campaigns per month are featured on our website at http://www.projectjason.org/18wheel.shtml Beginning on November 1, 2007, we will now increase that to 4 campaigns per month.

18 Wheel Angels is a poster dissemination campaign aimed at truck drivers, who are natural networkers. We also encourage business travelers and the general public to come to the website, download, print, and display these posters in local businesses. A special poster is made for each selected person on the campaign. An example of these posters can be found at the website and below my signature in this message. (This is not a poster displayed on trucks. It is a print and place campaign.)

All missing persons who have been featured on the campaign will have their poster available to download on the 18 Wheel Angels page on our website until they are found.

In addition to the campaign, the selected missing person's information and photo is also featured in a trucking publication called Through the Gears. This free magazine is distributed in truck stops nationwide and has a circulation of about 150,000. The selected missing persons' information will also be on the trucker.com website under Missing Persons. Depending upon available space, some families may have a short story about the missing person published in the magazine in addition to the photo(s) and basic data.

Through the Gears is one of Target Media Partner's many publications. In partnership with Project Jason, they will now feature four missing persons per month.Two will be presented in Through the Gears, and the other two will be in the magazine Independent Contractor. (You can pick up your free copies at a local truck stop, but if it's far from you, you may want to call and ask if they carry that magazine. These are NOT with the regular for purchase magazines.)

What does this mean to you as a family member of a missing person?

The 18 Wheel Angels program is a great opportunity for awareness for your missing loved one. If he/she has never been featured on the campaign before, you can ask to be on the waiting list for the campaign. As with all of our programs, there is no cost to you. We develop the poster, upload it, submit it to our trucking industry partners and will also do a press release to the media in the area of the disappearance if you'd like. We have been told by several of the families whose loved ones were featured on the campaign that leads were generated from it.

What does this mean to you as an organization providing assistance to family members of missing persons?

The 18 Wheel Angels campaign can be another way you can help your families with awareness. We do need permission directly from the family to run their missing loved one on the campaign, so feel free to refer those qualified cases to us for assistance. Since we have more missing adult cases than child cases, we'd like to get some referrals from families of missing children as well. You can also forward this message to the families you serve.

Excluded case types: (This is due to the targeted nature of the campaign and in working with publishing deadlines for the magazines, which run a month or more in advance.)

Persons missing in a natural disaster, in a wilderness area, or in a body of water
Persons declared by a court of law or a law enforcement agency to be deceased
Repeat runaways, unless they have been missing for more than 6 months and their whereabouts are not known

Check here to see if your missing loved one has already been featured: http://www.projectjason.org/18wheel.shtml

If you have not registered your missing loved one with Project Jason before, please do so here: http://projectjason.org/report.html

To see all of Project Jason's benefits and services, please click here: http://projectjason.org/benefits.html

Statistics show that one in every 6 missing persons is located because of a visual aid, such as a poster. The 18 Wheel Angels campaign is one way to increase awareness, and hopefully, bring someone loved and missed back home.


With Hope for all of our missing loved ones,

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/

Example of poster: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/KellyJolkowski/LeahPoster.jpg
 
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