By Denise Ortuno Neil
There is nothing more tragic than the loss of child. It would be even more heart wrenching to not be able to afford to put your child to rest. Tim Evans has worked hard to change all of that with his organization The Unforgettables, which helps families provide for their child’s burial.
It is a subject matter that is hard to talk about for most, and certainly escapes uplifting thoughts, but the compassion that Evans and his organization has put forth in assisting families in need definitely is uplifting on many levels.
Born in England, the now 56 year old Evans probably didn’t realize back then that he would one day be at the helm of one of the most unique charities in the nation.
His mother was classic English and his father was an outspoken Welsh and worked as a civil engineer, Evans got the best of both worlds… “My mother always thought that she was from royal descent,” Evans said fondly.
His parents, along with his two younger brothers, moved from England to Michigan when Evans was only 5. The move came when his parents decided to give their family more opportunity in the United States. His mother had a longtime friend who had married a Canadian soldier during WWII and had moved to Michigan. The couple sponsored the Evans family to their new home in the U.S. and the family prospered.
Evans had a progressive upbringing in the mid-west. His parents were heavily dedicated to their local church and their community, a sort of surrogate to the family and friends they left behind in England.
Evans attended Andrews University in Michigan. Although he had entertained the notion and even took some preliminary classes in the medical field, he decided to pursue an education in ministry, a calling that was ingrained in him as a child through his family.
He received a Bachelors and Master’s degree from the university. The degree M. Div., is a Masters of Divinity, a degree given to Ministers and Clergyman.
With degree in hand, he got his first job opportunity at a hospital/church and worked as a youth counselor.
Soon after that, while working for a large church in Washington D.C., he received another opportunity that would change his life. Loma Linda Children’s Hospital in Southern California was breaking ground and was in need of a hospital Chaplin.
The new hospital searched nationwide for their new Chaplin and found Evans. He made the move across the country and joined the hospital.
He worked with families whose children were very ill, as Loma Linda Children’s Hospital cares for children whose illnesses are severe. He found himself counseling families who at times suffered the immense loss of their child dying. The times when families were unable to fund the burial of their child became more and more usual. Evans decided to do something about it.
After a decade of working at Loma Linda Children’s Hospital, he along with a group of volunteers started The Unforgettables Foundation. Their goal was to assist families who could not afford to bury their child and to lift the monetary burden for these families in their most tragic time of need.
The Unforgettables Foundation is a non-profit 501c3 charity and has never had more than one full-time employee. The organization helps families all the way from the Pacific Coast, to the Colorado River. They also assist families in Las Vegas and Toronto, Canada. The charity has many unique qualities, one being that they were created locally in Riverside County, with their headquarters in Redlands, Ca.
Evans even went back to school to be as well versed as he could in managing the foundation getting a CFRE, Certified Fundraising Executive credential.
The Unforgettables Foundation has helped over 500 families in the Coachella Valley with their children’s burial funding. Although his organization is headquartered in Redlands, Evans feels close to the Coachella Valley. His organization even helped spawn a local charity called Femmwalla (www.femmewalla.com) founded by Micky and Aimee Grana, in honor of their daughter Jessica Hart who had passed away. The proceeds from Femmwalla benefit The Unforgettables Foundation.
Evans organization presented the Children’s Families in Crisis Conference on April 10th, 2015 at the California State University Campus in Palm Desert. It was co-sponsored by The Auen Foundation and the Barbara Sinatra Center. It is a symposium for health professionals and students in the field to address the prevention of all forms of child abuse.
Evans goal for the future is to have The Unforgettables Foundation near every children’s hospital in the nation. His organization has made a tremendous impact on the lives of families in need in their darkest moments….making his charity truly unforgettable.
For more information and to register for the conference visit www.theunforgettablesfoundation.org .
