Forgotten Foundation

A.J. Jackson, President/Founder

“We were nearing the end of our trip and I had become pretty close with a local pastor named Javier Vera. Javier only spoke Spanish and I speak English, yet we connected and somehow communicated. During the trip I saw lots of people living in poverty and with no chance of a better life. My heart wept for them. I wanted to do something…somehow…but how? We went to this restaurant on our last night there and in the middle of dinner Javier pulled me aside, put his hands on my shoulders, looked me straight in my eyes and started talking to me, in Spanish of course. It was like the whole room froze; sounds, people, everything just stopped, except Javier. I tried to understand what he was saying and then I heard it very clearly, “You will be in business and ministry and they will be like one. You are to help people and tell them about me. You are to help the poor and needy.” God spoke to me that night through Javier and it was life altering!”

After returning home from that trip to South America, A.J. started the Forgotten Foundation in January of 2007. He teamed up with Javier and started Forgotten’s first project, which was a community center for the street kids of Asuncion, Paraguay. James Gregory, Dustin White, and Robert Perea helped form the board of directors for Forgotten in ’07 and have been donating their time and hearts ever since.

A.J. is the proud husband to his beautiful wife, Katrina, who lovingly encourages and supports him daily. They live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Forgotten was also founded and resides today.  A.J. owns a real estate investment company called Capstone Investments, but his heart and passion is for the Forgotten.

James Gregory, Director/Chairman

James and A.J. went to high school together and have been friends since the ninth grade. James was immediately excited about the idea of Forgotten and jumped on board right at the beginning. He has been an essential part of the growth and development of this ministry. James has a kind spirit and a real passion for the poor and needy. He traveled to Thailand with A.J. and Josh in December of 2007 and has been wholeheartedly donating his time to the growth of the Thailand project and Forgotten Foundation itself.

James works full time as a software engineer for Honeywell here in Albuquerque. He is an avid snowboarder and kickboxer and is a great friend. He recently married the breathtaking Emily Goldsmith on the beach in Mexico.

Robert Perea, Partner

Robert has a big heart and has been helping others in need for years and years. He and his wife had a non-profit setup for children and people in need of education, transitional housing, skills development, and God.  Robert and A.J. met in accordance with God’s plan and after sharing their hearts and visions, decided to join forces and grow the Forgotten Foundation together.

Robert and his wonderful wife Brandi, own Print Mart, ASA Printing and Robert also serves as part of the political party for Albuquerque.

Dustin White, Treasurer/Partner

Dustin loves Jesus, his family, friends and just everything about life in general. He graduated from Texas Tech in 2006 with a degree in journalism and English. He got married in January of 2007 and moved with his beautiful wife, Rebecca, back to hometown, Albuquerque, New Mexico. He moved back to Albuquerque just around the time his best friends (A.J. Jackson and James Gregory) were starting a non-profit clothing company called Forgotten. As he learned more and more about Forgotten, he could feel God leading him to get involved with the foundation and help out in any way that he could. His passion for traveling has afforded him the opportunity to come into contact with many different cultures, most of whom are much less fortunate than himself and he has always had a desire to help them. “Forgotten Foundation has given me an outlet to help youth all over the world, as well as those who are in need in my own community. I feel so blessed that I am able to work with these amazing guys for such a great cause.”

How We Got Started

The forming of Forgotten Foundation was all God, as He brought together a group of men into a partnership with a common a goal of helping those in need.  The profiles of the founders above describe the forming of Forgotten and the stories of how each got involved. The picture above was taken the day Josh Montoya, James Gregory and A.J. Jackson boarded a plane to Thailand to see who, where, and how Forgotten Foundation could help. This three week trip led us to find the homeless Karen refugees from the neighboring country of Burma. These wonderful people are who we are currently working with in Mae Ramat, Thailand. The concept of a ministry like Forgotten has been with Robert Perea for years, the name and vision was given to A.J. in South America in 2006, and the infusion of the hearts, ideas, visions, and servants were all brought together in 2007.  Here we are; growing, helping, empowering, ministering, and serving.