URGENT appeal for help - Particularly USA Readers

There's not much I can say to add to what Kelly explains in her blog today. Please take a few minutes to send an email, or write a letter, to help this incredibly important organisation to survive.
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2006/07/71006-matter-of-urgency.html
[Quote]
To Family Members and Friends of the Missing,

Monday, November 5th, 2007, might be remembered by those involved in the missing persons cause as a day in which a huge step backwards was taken. Unless something major breaks in the way of funding, this will be the day in which the National Center for Missing Adults (NCMA) will close their doors. Thousands of families will be affected, now and in the future.

Why is this happening?

The answer is complex, but in summary:
· The NCMA stepped up and assisted over 13,000 victims of Hurricane Katrina and was to be reimbursed for those expenditures, which were close to $250,000. At this time, the NCMA has only received $50,000 to cover the work they did at the request of the Dept. of Justice.
· The 2007 re-authorization of Kristen’s Law, (HR 423) which would provide the NCMA with up to $4 million per year in funding for 10 years, continues to remain in the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security committee, with no action taken to help the center. This re-authorization effort has been in the works unsuccessfully since 2005.
· As experienced not only by the NCMA, but by other national organizations, including ours, the public does not generally consider missing adults’ assistance nonprofits as a part of their charitable giving plans. Corporations are also hesitant to provide funding, and grant makers don’t seem responsive, either. This lack of support has also contributed to the problem.

What will save the NCMA at this late hour?

If an “angel” company or person comes forward who can help keep the center operating until the Kristen’s Law Re-authorization funds are released.

AND/OR

The DOJ immediately releases the funds owed to the NCMA from their work related to Hurricane Katrina.

What Can I Do?

I spent time talking with Kym Pasqualini, founder of the NCMA, late last night, and based upon the conversation, this is what she asks of you if you feel moved to help with a final effort.

· Kym feels that, out of all the national media, the person who could best help with exposure and a push for action is Larry King of CNN’s Larry King Live Show. She says that Larry’s show is watched by many members of congress and that he is not afraid to step on toes to get something accomplished. If she could get a spot on his show as soon as possible, she plans to talk candidly about the situation. If you can help with this step, please write to Larry King at larrykinglive@cnn.com and ask him to have Kym on as a guest immediately. Keep in mind that even if a spot on the show is not successful at moving congress or getting the Katrina reimbursement, it could reach the “angel” company or person as mentioned above.

· Contact Peter D. Keisler, acting Attorney General, and let him know how you feel about missing adults losing their national clearinghouse and resource. Mention the 2007 re-authorization of Kristen’s Law, (HR 423) You can also write to Vice President Dick Cheney at vice_president@whitehouse.gov The White House fax is 202-456-2461. Use AskDOJ@usdoj.gov to send correspondence to the Attorney General’s office.

· The webpage for the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security is http://judiciary.house.gov/committeestructure.aspx?committee=6 Once there, click on the names of the various members and be redirected to their own websites with contact information. You can also write to your congressman.

Time is quickly running out for this year’s session, so please send your letters right away.


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How to be helpful

We can all do a little bit for helping others, with minimal effort.

I have written before about Project Jason, and am doing so again. They have joined an initiative for fundraising, where all you need to do is use a different search screen from your usual google page.

Read about it here:
http://voice4themissing.blogspot.com/2007/10/102107-no-cost-way-to-help-project.html

and support it here:
http://www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=857029

Radio Waves for Jason

I would like to tell you about a woman I have come to admire tremendously, although I have never met her.

She is immensely brave, dedicated to her cause, and always carries herself with dignity and courtesy. She has helped change laws in America, has appeared on television, on radio, and at public rallies all over the States. I suspect, however, that she would prefer to live forever in anonymity if it meant that the catalyst which propelled her to this fame had never happened.

You see, one day Kelly Jolkowski's son Jason stepped out of the house to put out the trash, and never came back in.

There was no evidence of foul play, and none of the usual things that accompany runaways. He has simply vanished. Since then, on top of dealing with her loss, Kelly (and her family) has campaigned tirelessly to help improve things for families who are living without the knowledge of what has happened to a loved one.

Kelly and her family set up Project Jason, which has the support of the '18 Wheel Angels' - drivers who carry images of missing persons all over the nation. They worked to help establish Jason's Law; establishing from that the Missing Person's Clearinghouse. Project Jason established the 'Adopt a Missing Person' campaign to provide assistance to other families in desperate need of getting information out about their loved ones. Kelly started a blog to highlight the terrible situations families find themselves in, and how they are preyed upon by self-interested vultures. The list goes on, and it can easily be seen that because of Kelly, and Project Jason, much has been done to help families of missing people.

The latest project for Kelly is a much more personal one, and just as deserving of support. I can't imagine what it must be like to live every day with such a gap that must be left when your son just vanishes. I can't imagine all the years spanning out without contact, or information, or closure. There is nothing in me that can begin to understand the highs and lows of such hope and disappointment. Recently many of us read about two separate cases of children returned alive to their families after years on lists of the missing. This must impact a family like Kelly's so much more intimately and intensely than the rest of us - how can that not lead them to hope for the same outcome, and soon? I know that Kelly prays, and I hope it brings her the strength and comfort she needs.

What she also needs, are resources. Her son was keen to get into the radio industry, after an internship with a local station. The latest project is hoping that should he currently be active in making a life for himself, he would be involved in a radio station somewhere. Project Jason has a list of radio stations, and an email template already written up, and all they need are volunteers to work through the list, sending in the email to various stations. It provides a photo, a vocal clip and an aged photograph of Jason, in the hopes that he might be recognised. If you have some time to spare, and the ability to copy, paste and send information to a subset of this list of stations, Project Jason would love to hear from you.

You can read about the project:
http://www.projectjason.org/

and volunteer by emailing your interest to:
radiowavesforjason@projectjason.org

Let's see if we can help bring Jason home, or at least get information to his family about what has happened to him in the past five years.