Jeff Ake

On April 11, 2005, Jeffrey Ake of LaPorte, Indiana was abducted by terrorists while working on a private reconstruction project in Iraq. At this time there is no information about Mr. Ake’s whereabouts or status. After five years his wife and four children have resigned themselves to the fact that their husband and father will probably never return. Liliana Ake, Mr. Ake’s wife said, “We have waited hopefully for five years, but sadly there has been no word about Jeff. We are extremely grateful for the outpouring of support, prayers and help from our family, friends and many strangers during the past five years. We appreciate all the efforts that the different branches of the United States government have made in searching for Jeff. We hope that the sacrifices that Jeff and so many others have made to bring stability, normalcy and freedom to Iraq will continue to benefit the Iraqi people. We ask everyone to join us in a prayer for peace on April 11^th and to remember that we are all created in God’s image. May God bless all those who have been so generous to us throughout this ordeal.”

The Friends of Jeff, a group of Mr. Ake’s friends from Downers Grove North High School, have come together to provide support for Liliana Ake and the children. A website, http://jeffake.com has been established to provide an easy way for people to donate funds to help Jeff’s family. “When people hear about Jeff and Lilly’s story, they always ask if there is anything they can do to help. We have established the Jeff Ake Family Trust to continue to provide financial support for Lilly and the children,” remarked David Dlesk, one of the Friends of Jeff. “It has been wonderful to see the generous response of so many people. We encourage everyone to reach out and help someone who may be having difficulties as a result of the turmoil in Iraq and Afghanistan, whether it is the family of a hostage, a member of the military or one of the many civilians who is helping to rebuild these countries.”

In April of 2005, Mr. Ake was in Iraq installing a bottled water line manufactured by his company, Equipment Express. He was abducted directly from the plant where he was working. On a video released shortly after his abduction, Mr. Ake was shown being held by armed gunmen. His abductors contacted the family shortly after he was taken, but there have been no further communications. Due to Mr. Ake’s prolonged absence, the company, which had been the family’s sole source of income and benefits, was not able to continue.

For further information go to http://jeffake.com , send an e-mail to familytrust@jeffake.com or call Mr. David Dlesk at 978-621-9870.