The PennZone

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. - PennZone -- The one-day out-patient event will change the lives of up to 20 children residing in Los Angeles, Compton, Santa Ana, Fullerton, Fresno, Apple Valley, and other cities throughout Southern California. This zero-cost medical mission will benefit recipients who cannot afford medical coverage due to documentation status, a family's loss of income, the inability to pay costly deductibles, and/or have been denied access to care for conditions deemed as "non-life threatening" or "cosmetic" by health insurance providers.

Based on the 2018 U.S. Census Bureau's annual Health Insurance Coverage in the United States, an estimated 4.3 million children were uninsured. Underserved communities are largely overlooked, leaving families stuck with the financial burden of paying costly medical bills.

Since its launch in 2014, Mending Kids' Hometown Mission is committed to addressing the expanding health disparity gap among disproportionately inequitable populations by removing obstacles to provide the necessary services these children deserve and need to correct physical and congenital anomalies.

More on The PennZone

• The Eichelberger Performing Arts Center Announces 6 Youth Summer Camps
• Feldman Shepherd's Ezra Wohlgelernter Honored by SeniorLAW Center for Two Decades of Service
• Century Fasteners Corp. Exhibiting at 2026 MRO Americas Show – April 21-23, 2026 – Booth #2257
• Blue Sparrow Coffee named Best Matcha in Westword's Best of Denver 2026
• Ocean County College Introduces Pathways to Simplify the Student Journey and Strengthen Career Connections

Mending Kids' volunteer team of board-certified surgeons, recovery nurses and other medical professionals will be donating their time and skills to provide quality surgical care to children in need of ear, nose and throat (ENT), orthopedics, urology, strabismus, plastic and reconstructive and general pediatric surgeries.

A young boy with a large hairy nevus on his face, or a little girl in need of cleft-nose reconstruction, may feel self-conscious or experience bullying due to their physical appearance which can lead to depression, anxiety, isolation and self-harm.

According to Jose Trejo, father of Jorge Trejo and former Hometown Mission recipient, by the age of 6, his son stopped wanting to socialize with other children who bullied him because of a large birthmark on his face. With their insurance unwilling to cover the procedure, "My wife and I were almost giving up," said Trejo.

In 2017, the birthmark was finally removed. "Now he's a totally different boy," said Trejo, of his son, "I see him happy and making friends."

These surgeries are critical to the patient's well-being. Mending Kids wants to ensure that no deserving child is turned away and give them an equal opportunity to medical care so they can achieve a sense of normalcy, return home healthy and face the future with confidence.

More on The PennZone

• Kiko Nation Expands to Apple App Store, Achieving Full Mobile Deployment for Livestock Digital Registry Platform
• The Lawyers' Marketer Launches Claude AI Implementation Service for Law Firms
• Certified Trading Card Association and Collectors MD Launch Healthy Hobby Initiative
• Actress/Model Raelia Lewis Building a Powerful Name in Entertainment and Fashion
• L2 Aviation Earns FAA STC for Thales AVIATOR 200S for Boeing 777

For parents or guardians who need to refer a child, or medical professionals interested in volunteer opportunities please call: 1-800-993-5680 or email Hometown@mendingkids.org.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @mendingkids Check out our work!

About Mending Kids

Mending Kids is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization that provides free life-saving critical surgical care to children in the United States and around the world from over 66 countries by deploying volunteer medical teams and educating communities to become medically self-sustaining. Since 2005, Mending Kids has mended nearly 4,500 children. Our surgical teams donate their time and services to train and perform procedures that range from interventional cardiology, open-heart, neuro, otolaryngology, plastic, orthopedic or general surgeries.

Please contact Adrienne Johnson to schedule an interview with Dorothy Lucey, Mending Kids board member, Isabelle Fox, Executive Director of Mending Kids, or Cristina Farrut, Director Mission Services, for interviews in Spanish.