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.