Missing Man: Jason Anthony Jolkowski--NE--06/13/2001

[Kathylene]

Print a poster: http://www.projectjason.org/aan/AAN_JasonJolkowski.pdf

Original Post: 03/21/04 by Kelly Jolkowski

This is my own son:



Our family website is: http://members.cox.net/prayersandposters/index.html

The basic details:

Last seen 6/13/01 on foot in the area of 48th & Bedford, Omaha, NE. He goes by the name Jason or J.J. He is 6' 1" & 165 lbs. He was wearing a blue Cubs hat & a white Cubs or Sammy Sosa t-shirt, black pants & black dress shoes. If you have any information, please call the Omaha Crimestoppers at 402-444-STOP or 402-444-5657. Case# 85214-T

On June 13, 2001, Jason was called in to work early. His car was in the shop all week, so he had no way to get to work in the morning. He told the manager that he would walk, but they called him back & made arrangements to meet at Benson High School, 8 blocks away from our home. Jason has a difficult time giving directions, & meeting at his former high school probably seemed logical to him. He showered & dressed, & was last seen by his little brother, Michael, bringing in the trash cans, as the trash pickup had taken place that morning. The neighbor also saw Jason taking the cans into the garage. Jason was wearing black dress shoes & black dress pants & carrying his red work t-shirt. He wore a white Chicago Cubs or Sammy Sosa t-shirt, & a blue Chicago Cubs baseball hat. This occurred at approximately 10:45 am. Within 30-45 minutes, the employer called our home to see if Jason was there, as he did not show up at the high school. No one has seen or heard from Jason since then. He has not touched his bank account, used his cell phone, picked up his checks from work, or inquired about or attempted to pick up his car from the body shop. He also was to have started a new job the following week, & he did not call or show up for the new job, which he was excited about. We estimate, based on the amount of his last check, & the deposit he made, that he didn't have more than $60 with him, if even that. Jason is a very shy individual & typically did not pursue social activities. For the most part, he was either at work or home. He did not appear to be interested in alcohol or drugs. He has a close relationship with his family, & it is hard to believe that he would purposely stay away without even contacting us, although we realize that this is not outside of the realm of possibilities. As we don't have any clues, anything is possible. We HOPE that it is just a case of Jason just wanting to get away from life's pressures for awhile as the alternative to that scenario is unbearable to think about. It just seems odd that if he had run away, that at the very least, he would have taken his checkbook or picked up his checks from work. As we have no leads, we are trying to reach every citizen because someone has to have seen him. We love our son and just want him back home with us.

Thank you for looking and caring,

Kelly Jolkowski, Mother of Missing Jason Jolkowski
President and Founder,
Project Jason
www.projectjason.org
Read our blog about missing persons:
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/

If you have seen any of our missing persons, please call the law enforcement agency listed on the post. All missing persons are loved by someone, and their families deserve to find the answers they seek in regards to the disappearance.


Print a poster: http://www.projectjason.org/aan/AAN_JasonJolkowski.pdf

[Kathylene]

Original Post: 03/21/04

Published Monday
January 5, 2004
Family still searching for missing son
BY MARION RHODES


WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Yellow ribbons once decorated trees and light poles along Pinkney Street, Bedford Avenue and Fontenelle Boulevard in memory of Jason Jolkowski. Today, 21/2 years later, only one lonely ribbon remains, tied to the porch of the Jolkowski house near 48th and Pinkney Streets. It's a sign that the family will not give up the search for their missing son.

Since June 13, 2001 - the day 19-year-old Jason disappeared - neither his family nor Omaha police have seen any sign of him. But the Jolkowskis haven't given up hope that one day, they'll find their son. They've posted flyers and sent out chain e-mails with links to a Web site about Jason, www.missingjason.com. They've submitted his picture to Internet sites that list missing people. In the first year after his disappearance, they even received help from private investigators.
"You just have to keep searching. You can't stop," said Kelly Jolkowski.

Michael Jolkowski, Jason's then 13-year-old brother, was the last family member to see him.
Jason was taking out the trash before heading to meet a co-worker at Benson High School, eight blocks from his house. His co-worker had offered him a ride to their jobs at Fazoli's, 80th and Cass Streets, since Jason's car was at the repair shop. Jason never arrived at Benson.

Whatever happened, the Jolkowskis say, they are sure of one thing: Jason did not run away.
They said he would have waited to get his car back from the shop and picked up his paycheck, and he would not have done his chores or worn his dress slacks and shoes the day he disappeared.
"If he was running away, he would have worn jeans and tennis shoes," Kelly Jolkowski said.
Bank and phone records, she said, show that he hasn't used his ATM card or cell phone since he disappeared.

Kelly Jolkowski has lost more than 200 pounds since Jason was reported missing and has more energy than ever before. "It's like she's a bulldog," said her husband Jim Jolkowski. "She's not going to give up until she finds all the answers."

The family's latest attempt in trying to locate Jason, who would be 22 now, led to the founding of a nonprofit organization, Project Jason, and another Web site, www.projectjason.org, which features pictures of missing people of all ages. Members hope to raise awareness that there are children and adults missing all over the United States, said Doug Brown of Omaha, who serves on the board of directors.

Project Jason arose out of the Jolkowskis' effort to lobby for a state law on missing people.
Legislative Bill 203, which proposes the establishment of a Missing Persons Information Clearinghouse, was introduced in February and remains in the Judiciary Committee. State Sen. Kermit Brashear of Omaha, who heads the committee, said he considers it likely that the bill will come up for a vote in the coming session. Meanwhile, Kelly Jolkowski said, she had thought about raising the estimated $49,000 a year to pay for the clearinghouse, but instead came up with Project Jason.
On Jan. 24, project volunteers plan to distribute brochures and ID kits at Crossroads Mall as one of their first activities.

Project Jason also is designed to give support to parents of missing children and to help them with the special kind of grief they face, Jolkowski said. "It's not quite like a normal death-in-the-family situation where time does heal, but you always miss that person," she said. "You're just kind of in a limbo, because you don't know what has become of them, and you keep having the ongoing loss."

Amanda Goodman of Shenandoah, Iowa, a friend of Jason's, said he would not have left his family out of free will. "He loves his parents and his brother more than anything in the world," Goodman said. "He'd be talking to me on the phone, and he'd put me on hold so he could tuck his brother into bed. His family came first." Goodman said Jason always believed in working things out. She said he would have asked for help if he had a problem, not run away from it.

The Omaha Police Department listed 1,850 missing people in October, the most recent month for which figures were available. Of those, 271 were 19 or older. The numbers include people who are reported missing but later returned to their families, Sgt. Kathy Gonzalez said.

"There's not any time that goes by that we don't think about him and wish he was with us," Jim Jolkowski said.

[Kathylene]

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI
Original Post: 04/18/04

The Legislative session has ended in Nebraska for this year and we were unsuccessful in getting Jason's Law passed. (Jason's Law, named after my missing son, would provide for a true Missing Person's Clearinghouse with services for families of the missing plus law enforcement training and a website with photos, etc.) Due to budget constraints, and I believe lack of understanding of the issue, we did not even get the bill to debate on the Senate floor.

Next year we will represent the bill and, with what we learned this past session, be better able to fight to get this passed. It's still going to be an uphill battle, but I will not give up until it is in place to help our families.

Each of you may want to check the laws in your own state, and see if you have a true clearinghouse, or just one in name only, such as ours.

Kelly

[Kathylene]

JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI in the News

Original Post: 05/09/04

Missing man's family starts program to help others with missing loved ones

Project Jason created to raise public awareness of missing persons


By Sarah Schulz
sarah.schulz@theindependent.com


A woman whose adult son has been missing for nearly three years has founded a nonprofit organization to help other families with missing loved ones.
Jason Jolkowski was 19 when he disappeared June 13, 2001, while waiting for a ride to work near his parents' home in Omaha. Since then his mother, Kelly, has turned her grief into a source of inspiration for other families whose loved ones have gone missing.

With help from her family, including her mother and her husband's parents who live in Grand Island, Kelly Jolkowski has organized Project Jason. The program aims to create and increase public awareness of missing people through a variety of outreach activities. The organization also provides the families of missing people with resources and support, she said.

The organization, which began Oct. 6, recently had its first big fund-raiser, a bike ride in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The $600 raised at the event will help fund identification kits and the printing of posters and other materials that can be distributed in an attempt to locate missing people, she said.

Project Jason has already assisted nearly 25 families in several states, she said. When the group is first contacted, Jolkowski said, she and her board members make sure the family has already taken steps to officially list the person as missing, such as calling local law enforcement. The organization also helps families make posters of the missing person, set up a Web site about the person, contact the media and raise awareness about the situation, she said.

Jolkowski has a lot of resources and is able to quickly spread the word that a person is missing. In addition to giving families guidance on where to turn for help, she also "holds their hand" and provides emotional support, she said. She also works to make sure the family members are taking care of themselves during a stressful time and plans to stay in contact with families if a loved one is located.

"Things are never back to normal," she said.

To help get information out there about missing children and adults, Jolkowski founded 18 Wheel Angels in January. Through the volunteer-based program, truckers and other frequent travelers hand out flyers and photos of missing people across the country.

"We targeted truckers because they are good networkers," she said.

Information on missing people has been published in about 10 trucking magazines as well, she said. The articles include instructions on what to do if someone goes missing, such as calling law enforcement, keeping a log of all incoming calls and checking for clues in the person's belongings.

Project Jason has also made identification kit instructions available online at www.projectjason.org. A Spanish language version is also available through the organization. Jolkowski said it is important to keep updated information about and photos of family members, especially children, to provide to law enforcement in case of an emergency. The instructions walk a user through many of the questions law enforcement officers may ask, she said.

Grand Island police Capts. Kerry Mehlin and Robert Falldorf said an organization such as Project Jason can be very helpful to law enforcement when someone is reported missing.

"Any help from the outside is beneficial," Falldorf said.

The majority of the people who go missing in Grand Island return within six to 48 hours and are often classified as runaways who have "issues" at home, Mehlin said. A case like Jason Jolkowski's is rare, he said.

"You never know when it's going to happen to you," Jolkowski said.

http://www.theindependent.com/stori...missing09.shtml

[Kathylene]

Original Post: 06/11/04

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http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=...&u_sid=1119340

Published Friday
June 11, 2004

Missing man's mother has hope


We all know what it's like to miss someone - to long for him or her, to yearn for a touch or the sound of a voice.

But what if the person we miss might never come back?

Sunday will mark three years since Jason Jolkowski left home and headed for work, never to be heard from since. He hasn't called, used his cell phone or drawn money out of his account at an ATM.

He just - disappeared. No clue. No trace.

His mother, Kelly Jolkowski, won't give up. Jason's car still sits in the driveway of the family home near 48th and Pinkney Streets. The family has kept all his possessions.

"I have hope that he is alive," she said. "If you lose hope, you stop looking. That's not fair to the person who is missing or to other family members who love him and miss him."

But at this point, where do you look? Jason, a Benson High grad who worked part time as JJ the deejay at KIWR, wasn't the type to run away.

Kelly is realistic. Though not abandoning hope, she knows she may never see him again.

But she wants to help other families who find themselves in a similar situation. She has started the nonprofit Project Jason (www.projectjason.org), with a seven-member board. She has asked that the Legislature enact Jason's Law, a statewide missing person's clearinghouse.

And Sunday, the start of Missing Persons Week in Nebraska, she and cohorts embark on tour across the state to encourage people to prepare for the unlikely - the disappearance of a family member.

For example, child ID kits to give to authorities, providing vital information.

"Do people stop and think about preparation and being ready in the unfortunate event a child is missing?" she asks. "No, they really don't.

"When it happens to you, you are put in such a high state of anxiety, can you think straight? It's hard to think of things you need to do."

The week starts with a 9 a.m. Mass at Holy Name Church, where Jason was a lector. The Sunday before his disappearance, he read Scripture from Romans, including: "We gladly suffer because we know that suffering helps us endure."

Kelly has suffered, but she hasn't stopped living. To the contrary, she got her life under control.

She weighed 375 pounds, but began exercising, biking and dieting and lost an incredible 200 pounds. Hence, her self-given nickname, "the incredible shrinking woman."

Kelly, who works in technical support for weather data software, and husband Jim, a warehouse supervisor for Nebraska Furniture Mart, moved from Grand Island to Omaha 13 years ago.

Jason, she said, was close to his family. It would be totally unlike him to run away and not call.

His younger brother, Michael, saw him lugging trash cans to the curb. Jason planned to catch a ride to work at his other job at Fazoli's Restaurant, 80th and Cass Streets.

Police tell her they are baffled.

The best thing, Kelly says, would be for the phone to ring and to hear Jason's voice. Meanwhile, an inner voice tells her to keep working and help families, because lots of others suffer the pain of a disappearance.

[Kathylene]

Original Post: 06/21/04

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http://www.doubleqcountry.com/artman...ter_3385.shtml

PROJECT JASON VISITS ALLIANCE
By KEVIN HORN, KCOW RADIO
Jun 15, 2004, 21:06


JIM AND KELLY JOLKOWSKI OF OMAHA, FOUNDERS OF "PROJECT JASON"
The parents and family members of a young Omaha man missing for three years are turning their grief into action by traveling the state and spreading the word about missing people.

Jim and Kelly Jolkowski were in Alliance Tuesday morning to explain their mission.

They have not seen their 19 year old son Jason since he disappeared on June 13, 2001.

Jason was last seen in the driveway of his parent's house as he was preparing to catch a ride to his part-time job. He has not been seen or heard from since.

The Jolkowski's have formed Project Jason and developed a web site at:

www.projectjason.org

Their mission statement reads as follows:

"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."

Nebraska currently has no clearinghouse to provide information about missing persons. On behalf of the Jolkowski's, State Senator Patrick Bourne of Omaha introduced LB 203, Jason's Law, in January, 2003. It creates a missing person's clearinghouse in Nebraska. If passed, the state will gather and disseminate information about missing persons of all ages. The bill remained in the Judiciary Committee for two years. It will be introduced again when the legislature reconvenes in January.

Jolkowski says since the state's budget is tight, it may be some time before the bill is passed and the clearinghouse is created. The state patrol estimates it will cost $49,000 a year to run the program.


LEARN MORE AT: WWW.PROJECTJASON.ORG
In the meantime, Project Jason will help bridge the existing information gap.

Jolkowski describes her missing son as a kind, generous and loving person.

"I feel that because of the way he is, he would rush to open a door for a little old lady," Jolkowski explains. "Project Jason is the type of organization he would have wanted to start or help with."

Jolkowski remains upbeat despite living with a parent's worst nightmare.

"People say one person can't make a difference in the world. How about one person who is not even here and we haven't seen for three years? Look at the difference he's making. Every time we get a child I.D. kit in someone’s hands, he's made a difference!"

Jolkowski remains hopeful her missing son will be found. She relates to the Elizabeth Smart case, the Salt Lake City, Utah girl who was found in March, 2003 after missing for nine months.

"She's a classic example of how someday, someone spot's them," Jolkowski explains. "That's the kind of thing we look to happen with our families we work with. We look forward to that wonderful reunion."

[Kathylene]

Original Post: 06/24/04

Today is Jason's 23rd birthday. Please pray for him. Thank you.

Kelly

[Kathylene]

Original Post: 07/24/04

These projects for Jason have recently been completed:

Jason is the featured case on the National Center for Missing Adults. This is the nation’s second largest missing person’s organization and they get a million hits on their site per week.

As the featured case, Jason is on the homepage of this site, bringing much needed attention to his case and providing us with a boost of hope. You can read his profile at http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/index.php?webid=home

The second project is a photo montage of Jason growing up, which includes music and text. It is a large file, so it does take a few minutes to load, so please be patient.

I hope that you find it to be as moving as we do: http://www.twinzee.com/jason.swf

A woman named Angel put this together for us. It provides us with a way to share Jason’s life with you. If you wish to write her and thank her, her email is Twinz4Mee@aol.com

Robert Cooke, father of missing Rachel Cooke, runs a nonprofit organization from his home in Texas. One of his focuses is self defense training. He is now selling a cookbook to help support the self defense courses as well as other services he provides. He was gracious enough to include Jason as one of the featured missing persons in the cookbook. You can order it online at http://www.rachelalert.org/RANorder.html

We recently were featured in the local news introducing our new Adopt a Missing Person program. You can see the news article and a video of the newscast at http://www.theomahachannel.com/fami...56/detail.html.

Please do consider helping us spread the word of this program. We’re also looking for corporate sponsors. If you can assist with that, please let us know.

Thursday, Project Jason was included in a list of Missing Person’s Organization links on a national news story. This was wonderful news for us as we work towards getting recognition for all of our families and for our cause. We’ve received over a thousand hits to the website that day alone. You can read this story here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5325808/.

I want to thank our family and friends for their constant support. We are blessed because of you and because we are surrounded by love. We thank God for all of you and for the gifts He has given us.

Jim, Kelly, & Michael Jolkowski

Jason’s website: http://members.cox.net/prayersandposters/
Project Jason: http://www.projectjason.org/

[Kathylene]

Original Post: 08/19/04

Jason had been added to the Original Laci Peterson Tribute Ribbon program. The ribbonmakers have made a special remembrance ribbon for Jason that they will mail free of charge.

For more information and a link to the Robbon tribute page, please see Jason's website, on the homepage:

http://members.cox.net/prayersandposters/

The ribbon is a slate blue. I will post a photo this weekend.

Thank you.

Kelly

[Kathylene]

Original Post: 08/19/04

Jason had been added to the Original Laci Peterson Tribute Ribbon program. The ribbonmakers have made a special remembrance ribbon for Jason that they will mail free of charge.

For more information and a link to the Robbon tribute page, please see Jason's website, on the homepage:

http://members.cox.net/prayersandposters/

The ribbon is a slate blue. I will post a photo this weekend.

Thank you.

Kelly

[Kathylene]

Please Adopt JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI Original Post: 08/28/04

Jason is on Project Jason's Adopt a Missing Person program. You can play a part in possibly reuniting his family by wearing his photo button and telling others about him. For more information about this program, and how you can help, please see:

http://www.projectjason.org/adopt.html

Thank you and God bless!

Kelly

[Kathylene]

Photo of Tribute Ribbon Original Post: 08/28/04



http://members.cox.net/prayersandposters

[Kathylene]

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI
Post: 09/04/04

After more than 6 months of fighting to get Jason listed on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, (NCMEC) he is finally there and we will be able to take advantage of their services.

It is not widely known, but a clause in Suzanne's Law allows for missing young adults up to, but not including age 21 to be obtain NCMEC services. As long as the person was within that age range at the time of their disappearance, law enforcement can call in the case.

Some of the services they provide that we will take advantage of include nationwide poster spread and the creation of an age progression photo.

Suzanne's Law is the result of the hard work of missing Suzanne Lyall's parents, Doug & Mary who run The Center for Hope, based in Albany, NY.

If you know any of any missing persons who disappeared between the ages of 18-20, make sure their family knows to have their law enforcement call in to have them added to NCMEC's case roster.

You can see Jason's NCMEC info here:
NCMEC Info

You can print his poster by clicking here:
Poster Link

Thank you!

Kelly, Mother of Missing Jason

[Kathylene]

New Website Banner for JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI
Original Post: 09/11/04

Please consider placing this banner on your website to help out:



Thank you!

Kelly

[Kathylene]

Re: Missing Person: JASON ANTHONY JOLKOWSKI [/hr]Original Post: 10/23/04

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http://www.dailynebraskan.com/vnews/.../4175d55356469

Concert series benefits search for missing people


By Jenna Johnson / Daily Nebraskan
October 20, 2004


The Silver Spoke Saloon in Roca is 15 miles away from the pub in Lincoln where Gina Bos was last seen four years ago this weekend.

It’s 75 miles away from the home in Omaha where Jason Jolkowski was last seen three years ago last June.

Both of these missing people were adults. Both left behind families who still are searching for any sort of an answer.

Both families met at the Silver Spoke on Friday night for a concert to raise money and awareness for the finding of missing people.

“When Gina disappeared, we had no idea the number of people who have disappeared is in the neighborhood of 85,000,” said Von Rap, Bos’ oldest brother. “Even if we had known, we would have never thought it would happen to us.”

Bos’ sister, Jannel Rap, a singer-songwriter who now lives in Los Angeles, started a non-profit concert series called Greater Information Now Available for Missing Persons, Inc. or GINA.

In the last few years, Rap has organized a TV program in Southern California and more than 70 GINA concerts across the country. Friday’s concert raised about $275.

Jannel Rapwas unable to attend the concert, but her two brothers were present, along with more than 150 people, many of whom knew Bos from her days as a musician.

Friday’s open stage concert was similar to the one Bos attended at Duggan’s Pub the night she disappeared and it brought back memories, Von Rap said.

“You never forget about it,” he said. “It’s always right there in your mind.”

Kelly Jolkowski came to the concert to distribute information and sign people up to “adopt” missing persons – to learn about their lives and wear buttons displaying their photos.

Jolkowski still is trying to cope with the disappearance of her then 19-year-old son, Jason, who was last seen in the family’s driveway as he was on his way to Benson High School to wait for a ride to his part-time job in 2001.

She founded Project Jason, a non-profit organization that directs families with missing members to the right resources, helps people create an identification file in case they disappear and lobbies the Nebraska Legislature to create a law allowing the compilation of information about those missing.

“There are always more people you can reach,” she said. “The average person has really no idea of the vast scope of things.”

Although both families are actively trying to inform the public about missing people issues, they are still hoping to find their own also loved ones.

“Our family is scattered across the country,” Von Rap said. “But no matter where we are at, we are still looking for Gina.”