Home

A non-profit organization dedicated to<br /> bringing joy, comfort and dignity to those<br /> who suffer from the “Invisible” effects of<br /> Mental Illness. Our programs help to give<br /> hope to others, making them feel successful<br /> and giving relief to suffering.</p> <p>P.J.’s Forgotten Children began in 1986 when<br /> the Utah Alliance for the Mentally Ill (UAMI)<br /> became alarmed at the number of attempted<br /> suicides among the mentally ill because they<br /> could not provide Christmas for their children.<br /> The idea of providing gifts for parents to wrap<br /> proved to be very therapeutic and helped to<br /> alleviate the increased holiday depression. In<br /> 1995, when UAMI could no longer administer<br /> this program, P.J.’s was established as an<br /> independent, nonprofit organization in<br /> memory of Patrick John Smith, who died<br /> while suffering a severe mental illness.</p> <p>The term “forgotten” refers to those children<br /> who are often overlooked because many of<br /> their parents are suffering mental illness as<br /> well, and are less likely to seek traditional<br /> means of help for themselves and their families.</p> <p>We are proud to be in partnership with NAMI<br /> (the National Alliance on Medical Illness Utah<br /> Chapter). It is the nation’s largest grass roots<br /> mental health organization founded in 1979.<br /> www.nami.org
We at P.J.’s Forgotten Children are proud of<br /> how our funds are spent. Only 3% of our total<br /> income is spent on operating costs.</p> <p>Last year over 8,800 hours of volunteer<br /> service was contributed to P.J.’s Forgotten<br /> Children and over 1,700 children benefited<br /> from this program.