400 Children. 22 Missions. One Shared Purpose.

12/28/2025

Dear Friend,

This year, more than 400 children received critical surgical care through Mending Kids. We carried out 22 missions, including our Hometown program, worked alongside over 150 medical volunteers, and logged more than 200,000 miles to reach children who otherwise would not have had access to care. These were children in urgent need of procedures to survive, heal, or live without pain.

Along the way, we invested deeply in both care delivery and capacity building. From Guatemala to Hong Kong, our teams provided life-prolonging atrial septostomy training, equipping local providers with skills that will save lives well into the future. In Vietnam, we led a general surgery mission in Nha Trang, carried out by a team of former refugees and children of refugees returning during the 50th anniversary year of the fall of Saigon, a powerful reminder of the deep personal connections our volunteers bring to this work. We also helped strengthen pediatric surgical care in Ghana and advanced colorectal care through work in Paraguay and the East African Colorectal Conference.

None of this happens in isolation. Our donors, foundations, corporate partners, host families, and volunteers are the bricks and mortar that holds this work together, allowing our teams to show up where they are needed most and to keep going, mission after mission.

Closer to home, we carried out a Hometown mission focused on children with special needs and high sensory challenges who require full sedation just to receive basic dental care. For many families, safe treatment options simply don’t exist. Being able to step in and say yes to these children has been one of the most meaningful parts of our year.

We witnessed a few miracles along the way and remain deeply grateful for our longstanding partnerships with the Philippine Heart Center in Manila, Shriners Children’s, and MemorialCare Outpatient Surgical Center Long Beach, whose collaboration and commitment continue to change lives.

As we step into 2026 and our 21st year of Mending Kids, our hope is simple: that we keep showing up for one another and for our kids, and that we remember we are not doing this alone.

On behalf of the board and staff, we wish you and your loved ones a very happy and healthy New Year. We are deeply grateful to have you along on this journey.

Together, we are Mending Kids.

With gratitude,
Isabelle Fox
Executive Director, Mending Kids

Make a Year-End Gift

Join Our Monthly Giving