SPOTLIGHT FEATURE- A Mother on a Mission. Project Jason & Garden for the Missing ~Lanai Jarrico Reporting...

Staff Reporter • Monday, May 10, 2010

Virtual worlds can be viewed as a time consuming “game” to many who have never experienced what an international community can achieve while working together. But according to 51% of our readers. Second Life is an extension of their real life.

There are still those people in our real world who are ignorant to this new social networking generation and are quick to pass judgment before realizing Second life is much more than a video game or waste of time.

As a virtual journalist, I view this platform as an ingenious media tool. With access to countless resources and networking communities all over the world.

The ability to help pass along news has always been my way of bringing awareness to many fundraisers, organizations and resources that help people or, at least try to influence others to be a part of some of the great and well known Humanitarian efforts in the world.

From The Red Cross, The American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life', West of Ireland's “War Child”, Toys for Tots to Project Jason.

According to reports by organizations across the country, there are over 2,300 people reported missing daily and over 900,000 cases a year. The majority being adults with close to half of those being juveniles under the age of eighteen. These numbers have rapidly increased from 25 years ago when numbers averaged roughly 150,000 annually.

These numbers are staggering and leave many families and loved ones to wonder, Where can these missing people be?

Feeling helpless, many stop there, but for the loved ones it is a daily struggle with unanswered questions, hopes of recovering their family member, and beginning to heal.

These heartbreaking stories play on for many around the world. These people need our help and support. 

How can We Help? Let's begin with one mother who has been on her mission since June 13, 2001.


Jim and Kelly Jolkowski 's son Jason never made it to work that day. He was last seen walking to work. Jason's car was in the repair shop and his cell phone were never recovered or used again. It's an unimaginable nightmare to a parent, but through our strength in numbers, we can embrace those who need us and make a difference in the lives of others. Read about Jason Jolkowski .


With great respect and honor, I had the opportunity to meet KellyJ Shepherd and interview the founder of Project Jason and winner of The Volunteer for Victims Award which was presented by US Attorney General, Eric Holder during National Crime Victims Rights Week.

INTERVIEW
Lanai Jarrico, KellyJ Shepherd and Ronnie Rhode (Founder of “Garden for the Missing” and KellyJ's dear friend)

[18:16] Lanai Jarrico: How did you come to SL?

[18:17] KellyJ Shepherd: Actually, Ronnie introduced me to it more than 2 years ago. She was looking for someone in the cause to aid her in her presentation and she thought it would be a good way to bring awareness for the missing.


[18:18] Ronnie Rhode: Yes, Kelly was kind enough to come help a stranger with my *Garden for the Missing by allowing me to use some of her resources :)
*Garden for the Missing

[18:19] KellyJ Shepherd: So, I joined and saw the great potential. Eventually we joined up with Nonprofit Commons and Ronnie built the office here in collaboration with us.

[18:19] Lanai Jarrico: Can you tell me more about Project Jason?

18:20] KellyJ Shepherd: We're a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization. Our core mission is to assist families of persons missing in the U.S. by guiding them in the process, providing support and awareness for their loved one's case. We offer unique awareness programs such as 18 Wheel Angels, which asks truck drivers and other business travelers to place posters as they go along their routes. Also, we have Come Home, which targets homeless shelters and soup kitchens in an effort to find selected missing persons who may be in the homeless population. We have a network of hundreds of volunteers nationwide to place posters in regions where they live. This program is called Awareness Angels Network. We must be creative in bringing the stories of the missing to the public, and these are just some ways in which we do this. Of course, there is also the outreach in SL.


[18:25] Lanai Jarrico: Wow it looks like you are covering a lot of bases in your humanitarian efforts. Both in Rl and Sl. I was about to ask who are those sponsors or friends on board in SL?

[18:25] KellyJ Shepherd: We don't have any sponsors in the typical use of the word. There are some groups in SL who do fundraisers for us now and then, but they also fundraise for other organizations.

[18:26] Lanai Jarrico: Do you do events that attract people with live musicians, artists ect?

[18:27] Ronnie Rhode: We are fortunate to have the people at LOVELI Inc. who throw such events, Justice League, Unlimited also does and *Pretty Lady* helps with awareness. There have also been events for us at Friday Night Talk Show and Pooky Amsterdam's 1st.Question.


[18:28] KellyJ Shepherd: Thanks, Ronnie for answering that.

[18:29] Ronnie Rhode: Sure. Also The University of Texas, Austin threw a large weekend event for a student project last year. 

[18:31] KellyJ Shepherd: We really have been fortunate in world with the kindness extended to us.

[18:32] Ronnie Rhode: We certainly have! We are very blessed by wonderful people in SL who believe in what we do.

[18:32] KellyJ Shepherd: The people in these groups have grasped what we try to explain about the cause to the public.

[18:33] Ronnie Rhode: We focus on missing adults as much as children so we are a bit different in that way.

[18:33] Lanai Jarrico: I love to see people working together to help others and love to help however I can. Is there an Amber Alert system for Project Jason? Like something in world you distribute?
[18:33] KellyJ Shepherd: There are only a few groups qualified to assist with missing adults, so we are quite busy with that. Every case we get is distributed on our Awareness Angels Network via email. The sign up is on our main site. Ronnie has the direct URL. We feel that each case is just as important as the next, no matter the story.. they are all loved and missed. We would not want to use the name "Amber Alert" as that is official and for certain missing child case types. As SL has an international flavor, the cases we promote won't have much meaning to the populace as a whole. We're always in program development, however.

[18:38] Ronnie Rhode: They do, however, to the SL groups and you asked about that. The larger group they may join is Garden for Missing Persons. The smaller group that more pertains to the nonprofit is the Project Jason group. We do disseminate posters in world when either there is an acute emergency or it's the relative of someone from SL who is missing in RL. (Awareness Angels Network ishttp://www.projectjason.org/awareness.shtml)

A recent poster reached an estimated 35,000 SL residents in one day. Those are only the ones I learned about, two groups of 10,000 each passed it and other groups as well. I imagine the number was quite a bit larger.

[18:38] Lanai Jarrico: How do you feel SL has impacting Project Jason so far and where do you hope to see things go?

[18:40] KellyJ Shepherd: We've met so many wonderful, caring people here. It's given us a new audience, and most importantly, a new segment of the population to reach with the stories of the missing. This may include people who don't view traditional media, and may not be aware of missing persons. We must always pose the question: Where are the missing? We must seek ways to promote cases in the places where they may be found.

[18:43] Lanai Jarrico: Have there been anyone found due to your efforts?
[18:44] KellyJ Shepherd: Yes, several families have been reunited. There was an adult male missing for 14 years, a sister missing for 7, a teen missing for 2, and 2 children (sisters) missing for 2 years. We have also had an indirect impact in the location of many more. Meaning that through everyone's efforts, the person was located.

[18:45] Lanai Jarrico: wow

[18:45] KellyJ Shepherd: It is truly amazing what great stories of hope.

[18:45] Ronnie Rhode: If I may add, those people who were found directly as a result of Kelly's efforts.

[18:46] Lanai Jarrico: That's must be very touching to know you've helped in finding people and on behalf of them all really thank you that is something to be very proud of.
[18:46] KellyJ Shepherd: I am blessed to be in a position to have an impact on the lives of others.

[18:46] Lanai Jarrico: Kelly recently you received some acknowledgment from the Department of Justice. Can you tell me about that?
[18:48] KellyJ Shepherd: Yes. I was nominated (and won) the Volunteer for Victims award presented during National Crime Victims Rights Week. This award was presented by the US Attorney General, Eric Holder. This award goes to a person who volunteers their time to aid victims of crime.

[18:48] Lanai Jarrico: How many of these awards are given?

[18:54] Ronnie Rhode: There were 10 awards given this year, fewer than 250 in history.

[18:49] KellyJ Shepherd: What is unique here is that as far as we know, no one from the missing persons cause has been honored in such a way. Missing persons previously were not given victim status. Read About the Award : https://ovcncvrw.ncjrs.gov/Awards/AwardGallery/gallerysearch.html

[18:50] Lanai Jarrico: Has Project Jason impacted any laws to change or some new ones to be considered?
[18:51] KellyJ Shepherd: We have passed procedural laws in several states now. This effort is called the Campaign for the Missing. Law enforcement needs guidelines in procedures which can mean the difference between a resolved case and a "cold case." The laws also spell out procedures for dealing with unidentified bodies. No longer will these persons be buried or cremated without the proper data collected. In doing the right thing, families of the missing will have answers sooner, rather than later, or never. Following the best practices, that is.


[18:54] Lanai Jarrico: It's a good thing you're involved in this effort the both of you.
Where can people go to donate or learn more about helping Project Jason?
[18:54] KellyJ Shepherd: There are donation boxes in SL, and of course on our website.


[18:55] Ronnie Rhode: They can donate here in the office in world, we also have a link to PayPal, or athttp://projectjason.org/help.shtml
TELEPORT TO

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Aloft%20Nonprofit%20Commons/239/24/26

[18:57] KellyJ Shepherd: I think it is important to note that there are more missing persons than anyone could imagine. It is often called the silent crisis. Sometimes it seems like no one hears us and our call for help.

[18:57] Ronnie Rhode: 105,000 in the U.S. at any given moment.

[18:58] Lanai Jarrico: wow those are some high stats
[18:58] KellyJ Shepherd: Also, anyone can go missing. It doesn't matter where you live or what you do. There are nearly as many missing adults as children. No one is immune. And when someone goes missing, you aren't handed a manual on how to deal with it. This is where we step in and make sure the proper steps are being taken in the case. No one should ever be alone in this.

[19:00] Lanai Jarrico: I totally agree. How do you feel about child monitors, like micro chipping?
[19:01] KellyJ Shepherd: That is a personal decision each family must make. I feel that communication within the family, and the parents teaching children, common sense safety goes a long way.


[19:02] Lanai Jarrico: yes true open communication does help but like you said no one is really prepared to handle it when something does present itself. What advice can you give to someone who may be in a situation now with a missing person?

[19:03] KellyJ Shepherd: If people realized how often it happens, they would arm themselves with information somewhat like insurance. We're prepared if our home is damaged or our cars, but rarely is a person ready to handle this sort of crisis.

[19:03] Ronnie Rhode: Project Jason has free ID kits in English and Spanish. How many have you given out now?

[19:05] KellyJ Shepherd: Looks like we are close to 20,000

[19:05] Lanai Jarrico:  Is there a support hotline?



[19:06] KellyJ Shepherd: We have a phone number families can call, however we try to schedule a call with them. We even do conference calls with more than one person in the family to talk about the case and address the unique needs within that family. It's all very personalized.

[19:06] Lanai Jarrico: Is Project Jason an international effort or based in U.S. only?

[19:06] KellyJ Shepherd: U.S. only. The cases we handle are persons who went missing in the U.S. We do what we are trained to do. Handling international cases would take a different skill set. We want to provide the highest quality service for those whom we assist.

.
[19:08] Lanai Jarrico: I think it’s safe to say SL is more of an extension of real life then it is a game. What can you say to those unsure about the power of the virtual world and would like to use it to help others?
[19:09] KellyJ Shepherd: I agree and do explain that to them (it's not a game for many) Again, it is a unique place for outreach for their missing loved one's case...a new set of eyes and ears for us. Awareness is the key to resolution. Stats show that 1 in 6 cases is resolved because of use of a visual aid, such as a poster or ad.

[19:10] Ronnie Rhode: Something else to note is that when families of the missing come into SL we give them a place to call home, and we make for them these T Shirts such as we have on now that say “Have you seen me?” with the missing loved one’s photo and police contact information.
Conversely, those SL members with someone missing may be able to receive real life assistance.

[19:11] Lanai Jarrico: well said and in that respect we can conclude this interview unless there were any final thoughts you ladies had to include?
[19:13] KellyJ Shepherd: I do want people to reflect upon the fact that this easily could happen to them. There is such a great need out there for trained assistance such as ours. For each case we assist, there may be one who didn't know about us. So, we need all the help we can get. The more support we have, the more help we can render and the more cases can be solved. These families need answers. Living in what I call the "not knowing" is the hardest thing imaginable.  Also, Project Jason hosts an annual retreat for families of missing persons no matter the age of the missing person. No one else in the world (that we know of) does this. At the retreat, we teach families how the body reacts to trauma and how to effectively deal with those reactions. They leave the retreat full of hope and the knowledge that they can go on, even if their missing loved one is not found. Emotional support is a key to helping them.

The next retreat will be held August 13-15.

Web: http://www.projectjason.org/retreat.shtml

Video http://www.youtube.com/user/c79fontana?feature=mhw5#p/a/u/1/5sLmy05u7Yc

[19:18] Ronnie Rhode: No one walked out of that retreat unchanged.

[19:18] KellyJ Shepherd: the difference in those people was astounding. If we had the support we could hold these all over the US and help even more people.

[19:19] Lanai Jarrico: where is it based now?
[19:19] KellyJ Shepherd: Omaha, NE, which is our headquarters.


[19:20] Lanai Jarrico: let’s hope awareness spreads and continues to grow and that happens. I thank you both for taking the time to talk with me, you have SLE's support