In the second edition of "The Missing," I brought you the case of Jason "J.J." Jolkowski, a 19-year-old resident of Omaha, Nebraska, who vanished in 2001. This past Friday marked the seventh anniversary of Jason's sudden and mysterious disappearance.
In honor of Jason, his birthday and his generous spirit, Jason's parents, Jim and Kelly Jolkowski, have launched a fundraising campaign for Projectjason.org, a nonprofit organization they founded in 2003, with the purpose of increasing public awareness of missing person cases. Below are just a few highlights of what this wonderful organization has managed to accomplish since then.
• Project Jason has distributed more than 12,500 personal ID kits, including a Spanish translation.
• Project Jason has facilitated the distribution of more than 50,000 posters nationwide through their various poster campaigns.
• Project Jason has given out more nearly 5,000 missing person photo buttons through their Adopt a Missing Person program.
• Project Jason has mentored several volunteers to action and passed legislation in 6 states that positively affect missing person's cases.
• Project Jason has served over 400 families since their inception.
• Project Jason, in partnership with Target Media, places information about 4 missing persons each month in national trucking magazines, which have circulations of 150,000 each.
• Project Jason has had a direct impact in the location of numerous missing persons, including a teen missing for 2 years, a sister missing for 7, and a son missing for 14.
• Project Jason recently started placing photos of missing persons on bus benches.
• Project Jason is the first and only assistance organization to offer free professional online counseling with one of the nation's foremost counselors.
• Project Jason was the first nonprofit of its type to open an office in the popular virtual world, Second Life, bringing the cause of the missing to a new audience, telling the stories of the missing in an intimate and intriguing style.
Last week, Kelly sent me a letter, which she wrote to mark the anniversary of Jason's disappearance and his upcoming birthday.
Dear Jason,
We love you and miss you. It’s been seven years since we last saw your face and heard your gentle laugh. Wherever you are, you're now a grown man. You were just a young adult when you were last with us, working to find your place in this life.
The month of June is such a trying time of year. You disappeared without a trace on June 13, 2001. Sometimes it seems as if it was just yesterday. The great fear and pounding of our hearts when we discovered something was very wrong is a feeling we'll never forget. We waited and hoped that you'd walk in the door a moment later and that the whole awful event would be over, but that didn't happen. Seven years later, it feels as if it never may end, and that we may have to wait for our life after this world to see you again. Even so, we will always have hope to find you sooner, and that you will be with us again. Love always hopes, and we have hearts full of both.
Father’s Day and my birthday were also events of that fateful month, and without you, those dates seemed meaningless.
June 24 is your 27 birthday. It would be so wonderful to be able to buy you a gift and sing Happy Birthday to you, even in our funny, off-key way. There is so much that we've all missed. If you are still with us, you could be married and have children. You may have graduated from college and be pursuing a career. So many life events which normally happen with someone of your age may have passed by. We hope and pray that you haven't been cheated of the life you were meant to live.
We feel that somehow, you are aware of how life has changed for us in your absence. Your little brother has grown up now and works with your dad. He misses you so.
Because of you, we were called to reach out and help others who have fallen victim to this tragic circumstance. We passed a law in your name here in Nebraska, and then we created a nonprofit organization named after you, Project Jason. We've helped find other missing people, including a son who was missing for 14 years, and a sister missing for seven. We wish we could find you, but rest assured son, we won't stop trying.
We were blessed to have you with us for nineteen years. You taught us so much, especially about generosity and kindness. You never told us these things, but we found out from those who knew you. You took it upon yourself to help a handicapped boy at school to get from class to class. You sang a rap in front of the whole school to help your friend get elected to the student council, even though you are shy and quiet. We saw for ourselves how you would literally run to open the door for elderly people, or help someone across the street.
Because of these things and more, we know you would want us to do the work we do to help other families of missing persons. In honor of your 27 birthday, and we know you would approve, we are asking for donations to your name sake organization. It's been a struggle these past seven years without you, and also in founding the organization and accomplishing what we know we could. With the support of others who care, we will achieve more for these suffering families and help to reunite them with their missing loved ones.
We're going to ask, dear Jason, that each person reading this consider donating $27 in your name to Project Jason. Realizing there are many who truly can't afford to do this, perhaps some who can, will donate an additional $27. We have a goal to reach $2,700 by October 6th, which will be the 5th anniversary of the founding of Project Jason.
It will be wonderful to be able to affect even more families in your name, Jason. The greatest gift of all would be to have you back in our lives, but if that is not to be, we will continue on with our work with the help and support of the kind people of the world, people just like you.
Love Always,
Mom, Dad, and Michael
I urge everyone to please donate anything you can to this wonderful organization.
You can mail your donation to Project Jason, PO Box 3035, Omaha, NE 68103, or go to their website, Projectjason.org, and click on the PayPal button at the bottom of the page.
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If you are a family member of a missing loved one and have a case you would like covered here, contact me via e-mail.