My husband Robert and I started the Forgotten Wishes Foundation in 2020. We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and our primary mission is to create a sense of belonging for people with disabilities by remembering them with personalized birthday cards, holiday greetings, special events, and small gifts.
We have two children with special needs, one with Autism and the other with an Intellectual Developmental Disability (IDD). Our daughter has lived in an assisted living facility with only 13 residents for the last three years in our community. Over the years, we have seen how fortunate we are to share memorable birthdays and holidays. In her group home, some residents do not have family members that ever take them out to celebrate their birthday or send notes and reminders that they are remembered.
Last year, one of my best friends started collecting holiday cards and gift cards for her son’s group home residents when she found out from the manager that most people in their care had no one who would be remembering them on Christmas. She took the donations and got our kids together, our adult children with disabilities. They created care packages and signed cards to ensure that everyone in all the group homes affiliated with her son’s organization would be remembered with a card and a gift.
We researched and found the statistics that over 40% of people with a disability do not have a friend or family member there for them. There are many reasons that this happens. In many cases, as they age, their family members may become ill or die. Many people with disabilities living in group homes, foster homes, or other facilities do not have parents, siblings, or other close living relatives who remain in contact with them. Some families simply do not have the ability to care for their loved one with a disability, and over time they drift apart. This is a heartbreaking truth.
We have spent years advocating for the rights of people with a disability and trying to support the systems and services that care for our loved ones with a disability. We are going to do something more through the work of the Forgotten Wishes Foundation. Our goal is to generate smiles and the feeling of being valued and remembered for all people with a disability, especially those alone. A key component of being able to achieve this is the newly formed Forget-Me-Not Friend Club.
