The Bulletin Fade to Black
9th Annual Day of Hope Golf Tournament
June 16th, 2013 by
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Jay Alberio, Gary Peterson, Gladys Peterson and Beth Bednar of FindJodi.com, Inc. Click to see Gallery. (Image: Donn LaVoie)

The golf course at Minnesota’s Long Prairie County Club was filled to capacity on Friday, June 14, when lots of friends, family, former classmates, and other community members showed up in memory of Jodi Huisentruit for what’s become an early summer tradition in her hometown.  The annual Day of Hope event, sponsored by area businesses, features a golf scramble, a social hour and dinner to benefit Jodi’s Network of Hope. Sunshine was abundant, and we couldn’t have asked for a better afternoon!

jodi-network-of-hopeJodi’s Network, originally founded to honor Jodi’s memory by a group of her closest friends, continues to expand, and has served to help the community with its three part mission to educate, inspire, and remember:

Educate.  Elementary school “Safe Side” training has received overwhelming positive feedback over the years, and will serve eight thousand students in 2013 alone.  Women’s personal-safety training programs are also conducted through the “Not Me” program, and are highly recommended for women of all ages.

Inspire.  This year’s winner of a $4,000 Gumption Scholarship is Emi Jansen, a 2013 graduate of LPGE (Long Prairie-Grey Eagle) High School, who plans to study Biology at Duluth’s St. Scholastica this fall.  The $500 Jodi’s Hope award, meanwhile, is given to a sixth grader who writes a winning essay.  The young winner also earns the right to read his or her essay on the radio.

Remember.  “Gumption” is a word her friends use to define Jodi, a “card carrying optimist and unforgettable friend who always dared to hope.”

Find Jodi team members Gary Peterson (with his wife Gladys – a very capable golfer), Jay Alberio (another very capable golfer who served as coach), and I were on hand for the eighteen-hole afternoon of golf.  Jay, Gladys, and Gary led the troops, with my husband Donn LaVoie providing several powerful drives.  My own golf talents are somewhat limited (as the team can attest), so my service was better put to use as chief sod-slicer and cheerleader!

Thank you to Long Prairie and Jodi’s Network of Hope – we had a blast!

Click here to see all the images from the event.

A Look Back: Tony Jackson, person of interest
June 14th, 2013 by

June 27th will mark the 18th anniversary of Jodi Husientruit’s disappearance. We’re marking the occasion with different looks into Jodi’s life and the case in general. Since Jodi’s disappearance, several people have been labeled ‘Persons of Interest’ in her case. Mason City Police investigators say they’ve never had an actual ‘suspect’ in the case. One Continue Reading

Two years later
June 12th, 2013 by

So exactly what has changed? In my last post, I addressed a question received during a recent speech to an area service club.  The member’s question was not accusatory, but direct and to the point:  “What changes have you seen since the publication of Dead Air two years ago?” As I explained in that post, Continue Reading

June tough month for Huisentruit family
June 11th, 2013 by

June used to be JoAnn Nathe’s favorite month of the year. The first month of summer was always a warm, welcome break after the end of the school year for this Minnesota teacher. But that all changed 18 years ago when someone abducted JoAnn’s younger sister,Mason City, Iowa anchorwoman Jodi Huisentruit, on her way to Continue Reading

Birthday presents…
June 5th, 2013 by

It’s an odd title for such a bittersweet day. It’s Jodi’s birthday. That’s reason to celebrate. But she’s no where to be found, and that’s agonizing for her family, friends and those of us holding out hope that her case will be closed, for good. There will be no presents for Jodi today. The best Continue Reading

Another chapter
June 1st, 2013 by

If you’ve been following this site for any length of time, you know that the eighteenth anniversary of Jodi’s Huisentruit’s disappearance is fast approaching.  Our regular subscribers can be assured this site will be especially active in the weeks preceding the observance on June 27.  You’ll want to check in frequently over the coming weeks. Continue Reading

The push and pull of technology
May 28th, 2013 by

People are so busy these days, don’t you think? Sometimes it seems something as simple as calling and talking to a friend or family member requires a certain amount of planning. Today’s ‘high-speed’ life surrounding us with technology can sometimes be overwhelming. But it’s also nice to have technology pull us together when we’re scattered Continue Reading

Ohio women free because neighbor’s responded
May 11th, 2013 by

Daring rescue happened because people were willing to get involved. Minnesotans are all too aware that answers, much less good endings, are heartbreakingly elusive when a young person goes missing. Jacob Wetterling, TV anchor Jodi Huisentruit, St. John’s student Josh Guimond and little Leeanna “Beaner” Warner of Chisholm are among those whose disappearances remain unsolved Continue Reading