Kelly Jolkowski

On June 13, 2001, Kelly Jolkowski’s life was forever altered. Her 19-year-old son, Jason, set off for a seven-block walk to meet a coworker for a ride to work. He never arrived at the meeting location and has not been seen since. 

At the time, there was nowhere for Kelly and Jim Jolkowski to turn for advice and comfort. There was no resource to tell them what steps they should be taking. They decided that no family should have to go through what their family went through, so they founded Project Jason, a nonprofit organization to assist families of the missing. 

Missing persons cases involving those over the age of 17 are difficult for police departments to investigate because of tight budgets, large workloads, and a lack of training. Authorities often assume the missing young people have simply walked away from their lives. Some departments even impose a waiting period before the family can file a missing persons report, thereby losing crucial hours early in a search. Age, gender, and race also may play a role in whether or not the media cover a missing person’s case. This combination of factors makes it very difficult for families who are certain their loved ones have not left of their own volition. 

Project Jason seeks to arm these families with knowledge, raise the public’s awareness about missing loved ones, and try to affect state laws with regard to the manner in which missing persons cases are handled by law enforcement. In the short time since Project Jason was established, the organization has assisted thousands of families, raising public awareness through the media, disseminating posters, and providing hundreds of referrals. 

To date, the organization has distributed more than 50,000 posters and 4,750 photo buttons of missing persons. They have also disseminated more than 14,500 free personal ID kits in English and Spanish. These kits ensure that families have personal identification information on hand for every family member. 

Ms. Jolkowski has devoted herself to helping others. She works a full-time job, then goes home to work her other full-time job—Project Jason—often late into the night. She is the person hundreds of families turn to for comfort and guidance. 

Kelly Jolkowski was nominated by Denise Anne Harrison, a volunteer with Project Jason.