The 2009 retreat is in loving memory of Mike Barbiere and in honor of missing Jason Jolkowski.
Mike Barbiere
Jason Jolkowski
A Call for Corporate
and Private Sponsors:
The Keys to Healing weekend retreat is designed to help heal the bodies, minds, and spirits of those families affected by a missing family member. This retreat is designed specifically to help the families understand the effects of shock on the body and the emotional issues attached. The weekend retreat will provide psychological counseling, classes about coping mechanisms, and therapy for the body as well.
Since dealing with a missing person can often deplete financial resources, our desire is that this retreat will be completely free to families who want to attend. We need to obtain sponsorship by this fall so that families planning to attend can make this determination based upon our end costs and your level of support.
Can you help? Inquiries should go to Kelly Jolkowski
Keys to Healing:
Mind, Body, and Spirit
Project Jason Retreat 2009
Omaha, NE June 12-14
Please mark your calendars for June 12-14 2009. On those dates, Project Jason will be hosting a retreat for family members of both missing children and adults. The retreat is open to adult family members who reside anywhere in North America, and will take place at a spacious, comfortable, and scenic retreat center near Omaha, NE.
The main goals of the retreat are for family members to gain an understanding of the body's reaction to the trauma of missing a loved one, to recognize and understand the emotions which surface, and learn methods of coping. Family members will also benefit from meeting and networking with others who can relate to this unique tragedy. Classes offered during the retreat will cover all aspects of living in the "not knowing", with a focus on mental, spiritual, and physical healing.
Duane Bowers, Project Jason's Healing Harbor counselor, and one of the nation's most knowledgeable and respected authorities on dealing with the emotional issues faced by the families of the missing, will teach the main courses during the retreat.
While there are many other courses and events in the planning process, we'll just mention a couple of other features now:
- A law enforcement official will be present to take DNA samples from biological family members who have not yet done this. These DNA samples will be processed by our friends at the Center for Human Identification lab in TX, and will be entered free of charge into the national CODIS database.
- Free chair massages will be available on day two of the retreat.
- A registered dietician will discuss healthy eating for busy and stressful lifestyles.
- A certified personal trainer will reveal ways to exercise on the run, and how exercise alleviates stress.
......and more. (Keep checking back for updates)
We feel this is such an important and needed venture. To our knowledge, there is no other open invitation retreat for families in the US.
We'll be providing you with additional information about the retreat every few months, and registration details coming at the end of this year. We wanted to let you know now in case that would be helpful to you for planning purposes.
Feel free to pass this message along to other families of the missing you know. We're very excited about this, and hope that you are too.
Join us for your keys to healing.
© Project Jason 2005
Revised: July 21, 2008