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During the nine years since Kelly Jolkowski last saw her son, she has never stopped trying to raise awareness of the difficulties people face when a family member goes missing.
Jolkowski is back in Omaha after one of the most inspiring weeks she's experienced in her ongoing quest.
The U.S. Justice Department's Office for Victims of Crime on Friday named Jolkowski as the 2010 volunteer for victims honoree. Jolkowski is president and founder of Project Jason, a nonprofit organization that assists families of missing adults and children.
“It was such a special honor,” said Jolkowski, who traveled to Washington, D.C., to accept the award. “It really makes a statement for the missing persons cause. I'm hoping this will help open the door to more assistance, which is really needed. Most people just don't know about everything that goes on behind the scenes of having a missing loved one in your life.”
Jim and Kelly Jolkowski's 19-year-old son, Jason, went missing in June 2001. The Jolkowskis created Project Jason to improve public awareness about missing people and to educate families about what to do if a family member disappears.
Kelly Jolkowski was one of eight people honored by the U.S. Justice Department for their work in assisting crime victims. The awards were presented as part of national crime victims rights week.
“It was very moving,” she said. “It was such an honor to be among people who have such an outstanding body of work. We still do everything on a volunteer basis, and everybody involved has full-time jobs. For a tiny nonprofit such as ours to be recognized by the federal government, it's outstanding.”
Contact the writer:
444-1207, chad.purcell@owh.com
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