This is a mission for Steve's safe return to his family.
W.O.M. Stories
What lead me to finding out about Project Jason is a story of a daughter searching for her missing mother who vanished from her home. This story is leading me into other more missing person stories and their families. Each and everyone’s stories are different and yet we share the same situation: a loved one is missing.
Prayers.
I didn’t understand the initial flak when my family started to post prayers, especially prayers based on our religion as a Roman Catholic. It’s part of who I am. The facebook page is not a religion page but by showing our faith, we believe this will help in bringing him home. As I said before, any belief is respected. You’re welcome to post any prayers. But it’s not a site to debate any kinds of religion but to come together, embracing our own diversity with one common goal which is to bring Steve back home safely to our family.
PREJUDICE.
That’s the kind of attitude that I’d encountered in my search for my husband, Steve.
“How could anyone abandon their child?”
“Are you two having problems at home? He has probably taken a time out. Just wait for him, he’ll eventually come home.”
“Is he happy with her?” (Someone asking my relative)
“He had taken a gun with him? I hope not but it looks like he did it.”
“A lot of people searched the mountains for him, he’s probably not there (Verdugo mountain).”
“Apparently he doesn’t want to be found, just let it go.”
“Just take care of your child instead of looking for him. He’ll get around.”
“He’s depressed? Anyone can get depressed.”
“Problems at work? That’s normal. I get problems at work, too.”
“There are no signs of foul play.”
“So, he just walked out.”
“You just have to wait until someone finds him in the mountains.” (Meaning due to decomposition)
“It’s a waste of time putting up flyers.”
“So, there are sightings. People had found him then.”(Meaning there’s no need for any more searches)
“He’s FBI. He can take care of himself.”
“He’s FBI. He’s on a mission.”
Kelly Jolkowski, the Founder & President of Project Jason is helping me & my family to keep the awareness going that my husband, Steve is still missing. They have a program called, 18 Wheels Angels which, “is an all volunteer program in which truck drivers volunteer their time and resources to help locate missing loved ones. Target Media Partners works with Project Jason to provide additional assistance for families of the missing by publishing the photos and information for each featured campaign in their monthly magazines, Through the Gears, TruckJobSeekers, and Independent Contractor. These publications have a circulation of 150,000, and can be found at truckstops and other businesses nationwide.”
I talked to Detective Gordon who is the lead detective on this case. Because of the leads we got from Let’s Bring Steve Home Volunteer Search Activity from the past two weekends, the BPD are now following this up. They’ll be sending out again a new all-points bulletin or BOLO’s (be on the look out) to the other law enforcement agencies and focusing on the San Fernando Valley.
There were concerns raised by the volunteers on how fast the response would be if just in case, there would be a live sightings about Steve. Meaning, a search volunteer saw Steve right there and then. Detective Gordon assured me that Burbank Police Department would definitely respond immediately if they call the phone number listed on the flyer: (818) 238-3000.
Our goal is ultimately to bring Steve home safely but we also have these other goals that there’ll be an actual physical search activity and now it’s starting to happen again. I owe that to all the volunteers who had participated. Continue reading “46 Days”
“An astounding 2,300 Americans are reported missing every day, including both adults and children.”~ America’s Missing by David Krajicek
I’d never thought that Steve will be part of that number. I’d never thought that our family will experience this. But one thing I can say is that the urgency to find a loved one whether it’s a child or an adult should be the same.
“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”~ Maya Angelou
Today, I want to list down what I’m grateful for at the moment:
You’ll never know what tomorrow will bring.
Tomorrow morning at 7AM, there’ll be more than a dozen volunteers – made up of family and friends as well as concerned citizens who will come together to post missing person fliers and search for my husband, Stephen “Steve” Ivens who was last seen at our home last May 10. The search volunteers will be divided into three groups: The first will focus on the Verdugo Mountains, the second will go to homeless shelters, soup kitchens and train stations around the San Fernando Valley area, and the last will hit Griffith Park trails. The search party will assemble at McCambridge Park at 7 a.m. before leaving for their assigned search locations.
We’re lucky enough that G.I. Joe Search & Rescue Team will be joining us to help locate Steve and CBS-LA will be covering this voluntary search activity.
You’re very much welcome to join us to pick up flyers & post it at assigned areas or within your vicinity even if you can’t hike with us. Not everyone will be hiking.
We’re organizing a voluntary search party to search for Steve & post flyers this coming Saturday, June 23, 2012 from 7:00am until 5:00pm, McCambridge Park, 1515 North Glenoaks Boulevard, Burbank, CA. Meeting place will be at the picnic tables in front of the playground.
Destinations:
Group A: Verdugo mountains, 2-3 people per trail
Group B: homeless shelters, soup kitchens, telephone booth at Sunland, Tujunga, Glendale, Burbank, North Hollywood, La Crescenta, San Fernando.
Group C: Griffith Park trails if there are more people coming in
Please indicate if you’ll be able to go to the Verdugo mountain.
Need to bring: proper clothing attire (check the weather), hiking boots/ rubber shoes, swiss knife/scissors to cut tape, 1st aid kit, sunscreen, hat, walking stick, whistle, camera, binoculars.
We’ll provide: We’ll provide flyers, maps, waters & granola bars, duct tape to post the flyers.
There were 18 people who joined us to Let’s Bring Steve Home Community Search Party this morning. These are family, friends & other people who just cared enough to make time for us to find Steve. The Sierra Madre Search & Rescue teams had their own system & we didn’t want to interfere with what they’re doing. Uncle Jim told me that the SMSR had 15 people who are doing this as a training exercise. I’m just grateful for the time they contributed to the search efforts in finding Steve.
Let’s Bring Steve Home Community Search volunteers were divided into 8 groups. 5 groups went to the trails & 3 groups went to post fliers & asked bus drivers if they recognize Steve along the bus stops around the city of Burbank, Glendale, San Fernando, Sunland, Montrose, Pasadena, etc.
Let's Bring Steve Home 