On May 2, 20 years and 2 days after the very first meeting on April 30, 1999 (where founder Tim Evans, then the Chaplain for Loma Linda Children’s Hospital, presented to community leaders the gap in the safety net) board members and volunteers met at the original site – Cypress Chapel at Montecito Mortuary near the convergence paint of Colton, San Bernardino, and Loma Linda. The Unforgettables, a Redlands based 501 (c) (3), has given over 5000 at risk, grieving, and cash strapped families burial and funeral money for a dignified ceremony for their child (18 years of age to 30 weeks of pregnancy) who has died - for all causes of childhood death – like car accidents, cancer, stillbirth, sickle cell, suicide, SIDS, and cardiac problems! This unique and essential mission of mercy has helped families across all of Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Clark Co, Nevada.
Current Co-Chairs Bill Collazo (Highland) and Cherie Crutcher (Riverside) welcomed the crowd, while founding witness and past chair, Mitch Morales of Victorville, and incoming Co-Chairs (2019 – 2020) Thomas Slaughter of San Bernardino and Stan Morrison of Riverside, joined in as Tim Evans (Highland) the founder and Sonya Evans (Co-Founder) from Redlands, presented Brenda Lorenzie of Lorenzie Estates and Inland Empire Magazine in Temecula The Unforgettable Summer Austin Award for loyalty. Miss Austin was the daughter of major 20-year donors, John and Judy Austin, from Redlands but now in LaQuinta.