Patrick Atkinson has served as the executive director of The God’s Child Project since 1991. In addition, he is the executive director of the Institute for Trafficked, Exploited, and Missing Persons, and for Asociacion Nuestros Ahijados, the Guatemala-based arm of The God’s Child Project. Through these organizations, Patrick Atkinson works to support human rights.

In 2017, The Chronicle, a publication for Minnesota’s Twin Cities region, profiled Patrick Atkinson and his work in Central America, Vietnam, and the streets of New York City, where he has helped lift vulnerable people from addiction, exploitation, and other dangers. His book, A Message for My Child, was written to promote personal safety for young people.

A Message for My Child urges young people to make positive decisions that will lead them to success. With illustrations by the author’s son, the book delivers powerful and inspirational points in simple language and a tone of acceptance that will resonate with children and teens.

The book emphasizes that parents can teach good behavior and try to help their children develop strong character, but ultimately each individual is responsible for his or her own life choices. A Message for My Child has received worldwide praise, with more than 1 million copies distributed internationally. The book has been translated into 27 different languages and is part of the permanent school curriculum in the country of India.