My name is Lisa Dempsey, and in 2020 my husband Robert and I began the Forgotten Wishes Foundation. We have two children with special needs, one with Autism and another with an Intellectual Developmental Disability (IDD). Our daughter has lived in an assisted living facility with only 13 residents for several years in our community. We have seen how fortunate we are to share memorable birthdays and holidays. In her group home, some residents do not have family members or friends that send a card in the mail to celebrate their birthday or send greeting cards over the holidays to let them know they are remembered.

Last year, one of my best friends started collecting holiday greeting 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.

After that experience, I did a little researched and found the statistics. The numbers are unfortunate. 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 will do something more to directly impact the people with a disability through the Forgotten Wishes Foundation's work.

Forgotten Wishes Foundation

Delivering Delight to People with Disabilities

Forget-Me-Not-Friends Club

The first 100 funded for a year!