Mending Kids provides free life-saving surgical care to sick children worldwide
​by deploying volunteer medical teams and supporting communities to become medically self-sustaining.

Our volunteer medical teams donate their time and services  
​​to care for children while educating local medical staff.

---

HOW IT ALL STARTED...

​The vibrant and significant history of Mending Kids International began with our founder and devoted full-time volunteer Cris Embleton over 30 years ago. After the tragic passing of Cris' adopted daughter just prior to her first birthday, when $5 worth of medicine would have saved her life, Cris set out to make certain children around the world had access to life-saving surgeries and medical care.
By building relationships with local hospitals in Southern California and third world physicians, Cris was able to bring children to the United States for surgery and provide treatment to others through annual medical missions abroad. She formed her own international non-profit organization, Healing the Children - which is now running in 14 states!
In order to expand the mission in California, Cris and her local Board of Directors broke away in 2005 to form Mending Kids International. Cris will always be such a special part of our daily mission to help children around the world receive transformational surgeries to live normal and fun childhoods!

THE TEAM 

A dedicated team of people who combine their skills and power their hearts
​to organize, plan, empower and execute our mission

Isabelle 
Fox

Executive Director

Arielle
Leviste

Program & Outreach
​Specialist

---

jeffrey
schare

Senior Programs Coordinator

Mary
Zimmerman

Programs Coordinator

Raul
isidoro

Programs & TRI Specialist

---

2026 board of directors

​Ayal
​Willner, md

Southern California Ear, Nose, & Throat, and
Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach
​​Board ​President​

Alexis
​Crump

Attorney, Partner
Lewis Brisbois 
​Board ​Vice-President​

​Leslie
​Wright Frost

Community Volunteer
​Board ​Secretary​

​Richard Tabura 

Attorney, Greenberg Traurig LLP ​
​Board Treasurer​

---

Carmela
​de brouwer

Child Advocate

​Darren Berman​, MD

Director of Pediatric Interventional Cardiology
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Deidre
Bailey

Portfolio Manager & Founder
DSD FINANCIAL, INC

Dorothy Lucey

​Reporter 
Media Personality

---

​ERIC DOERR

Entrepreneur

Evan
​Zahn, md

Chief Medical Officer
Renata Medical​

Jacqueline Leitzes

Director of Development
​Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children's

​JASON
​FRISCHER, MD

Division Chief, Pediatric Surgery
​Le Bonheur Children's Hospital

---

Mindy
​Wechsler

DC Chiropractor​

MOLLY KENNY

Founder & Principal
​Law Offices of Molly B. Kenny

ROBYN ROSS

General Partner
​Harry Ross Industries LLC

Trisja
Schwartz 
​Malisoff

Child Advocate & Realtor
Compass

---

Julia Hans

Emeritus & Founding Board Member

​Robert ​Bernstein, MD

Emeritus Board Member

ROBYN MOORE​

Emeritus Board Member

help

The Health Equity Leadership Project (HELP) embodies the fundamental philosophy of all Mending Kids programs.
Our Overseas/Hometown Missions and Individual Surgical Care Programs (U.S.A. & International) address health inequity by providing underserved children access to surgical care.

Our Training, Research, and Innovation program (TRI), provides exchanges of knowledge through hands-on training, cutting-edge technology, and virtual symposia; helping elevate the standard of pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative care. Mending Kids supports its international mentees by offering observerships, medical conferences, and financial support for local surgeries. These programs cultivate leadership and self-sustainment in surgical care around the world.

Additionally, HELP affords non-medical volunteers the opportunity for internships and to travel on Mending Kids overseas missions, during which they can shadow and support medical professionals in the delivery of surgical care. Many of our volunteers go on to careers in global health and medicine, or start their own nonprofits.