LCCF 2021 Annual Report

2021 ANNUAL Report

20 YEARS FILLED WITH STORIES LCCF is like a book of stories. Stories of struggle, hope, joy, compassion and about the greatness of the human spirit, but also stories of pain and sacrifice. As I reflect upon these stories, what stands out the most is the compassion and empathy toward the most vulnerable part of our community: children.

For this, I thank all those who sow hope in the lives of thousands of families in Baja California Sur: the LCCF team, for their unbreakable commitment, our volunteers, for their dedication to building a better world, programs and organizations that work in favor of children, for their inspiring endeavor, and to all donors like you for the generosity that allows us to share our spirit of service, joy, love and hope where it’s most needed.

Sincerely, Felipe Fernandez Board Chair

Los Cabos Children’s Foundation promotes, strengthens, and advances programs that have a focus on health and wellness for children and youth in Baja California Sur, in order to improve their quality of life.

LCCF has a unique model Operating its own programs.

Investing in other mission-aligned organizations.

Going beyond financial support to elevate the performance and impact of the nonprofit sector in Baja California Sur.

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LOS CABOS CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION

STRENGTHEN

Monitoring and accompaniment of the needs of our programs during the year.

Training and strengthening the social sector in Baja California Sur. Networking with organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life of Children and Youth.

PROMOTE Knowledge of our community and target population needs.

Annual grant application process to identify new programs to support.

Incubator for programs that want to formalize their work in the community.

ADVANCE Sustainable financial or in-kind support.

Recognition to adherence to principles of continuous improvement, efficient work and transparency.

Connecting among our network of Partner Programs and our strategic allies.

Our commitment with the Children and Youth in Baja California Sur is through 4 pillars addressing 7 health issues and 3 cross-cutting themes:

Comprehensive approach to children’s health and wellness

Child’s best interest and a rights-based approach

Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda

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CROSS-CUTTING THEMES 1. Comprehensive approach to children’s health: Since the World Health Organization was created in 1946, its constitution defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. This definition remains current and Los Cabos Children’s Foundation embraces it as the focus of our investment in programs and promotes it among our supported programs.

2. The child’s best interest and a rights-based approach: The best interest of the child refers to the recognition of children and adolescents as human beings, and therefore as subjects of rights, but also as a group of people with particular characteristics due to their condition of vulnerability and as human beings in formation.

Health plays a fundamental role as a key human right because it opens the door to the possibility of enjoying other rights, such as the right to participation and free expression. The lack of health in childhood is also one of the most disruptive elements at the family level, with serious consequences for its main guardians, who are usually mothers. Los Cabos Children’s Foundation contributes to the rights approach through: - Recognizing children and adolescents as subjects of rights.

- Working to incorporate and empower main guardians in the processes for the pursuit of the child’s health.

- Carrying out and supporting prevention programs that recognize the rights of the population and the importance of taking care of their environment and ecosystem for disease prevention and control.

- Collaborating with public entities and offering support to promote and protect the rights of children and adolescents, as well as ensuring that these rights are guaranteed by the authorities.

- Supporting organizations and public institutions and operating programs that have a positive incidence on the access to health care for children and adolescents in the state of Baja California Sur. 3. Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda: In 2015, the 2030 Agenda was designed by the United Nations in order to achieve 17 goals for the sustainable development of the millennium as reference to frame the work of governments, companies and civil society to eradicate poverty, protect our planet and improve the quality of life of people in situations of vulnerability, violence and social injustice.

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LOS CABOS CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION

Los Cabos Children’s Foundation contributes directly to achieve the following goals: Goal 3 - Good Health and Well-Being - through: - Support to specialized medical programs and their personnel to end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age.

- Promotion of mental health and well-being, as well as of prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases to reduce mortality.

- Financial risk protection and information for families to know and demand their health coverage and access to quality essential health services and to safe, effective, affordable and quality medicines and vaccines.

- Increase health financing and recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce that is specialized in pediatric services.

- Information in early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks.

Goal 5 - Gender Equality - through: - Contribution to ending all forms of discrimination against women and girls by garanteeing equal access to health to girls and boys in all supported programs.

- Strengthened programs that offer comprehensive support to children and adolescents, including the strategic role of their guardians, where the main one is usually the mother.

- Execution of programs for the prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.

Goal 17 - Partnerships for the Goals - through: - Increased international support for effective and targeted capacity-building activities to support national implementation plans for all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation.

- Encouragement and promotion of effective partnerships in the public, public-private and civil society spheres, taking advantage of the experience and strategies for obtaining resources from partnerships.

Los Cabos Children’s Foundation also contributes indirectly to achieve the following goals: Goal 1 - No Poverty - by promoting the implemention nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all and, by 2030, achieve comprehensive coverage of the poor and the most vulnerable.

Goal 10 - Reduced Inequalities - by promoting official development assistance and financial flows, including foreign direct investment consistent with national plans and programs.

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Our Spirit of Joy was born with LCCF in 2002. At that time, in Los Cabos and in all of Baja California Sur there was nowhere to treat children with cancer. It all began with the treatment of several children and adolescents in our founder’s hometown, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In 2007, children with cancer in Baja California Sur began to be treated at the Sinaloa Pediatric Hospital and stayed in a home especially for them, the original Casa Valentina. In 2012, Dr. Eduardo Altamirano started treating children at the State Oncology Center while the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Unit was being built in Salvatierra Hospital. Finally, in April of 2013, the medical unit and the home for children with cancer, Casa Valentina BCS, opened their doors to provide children and adolescents with the quality and specialized services they needed, close to their home and family.

CANCER Cancer is the first cause of death by illness in children 5 to 14 years old in Baja California Sur. In 2018, BCS was the third state in Mexico with the highest percentage of 5-year survival rate for childhood cancer. In LCCF we have actively improved the access of children and adolescents with cancer to the necessary medical services and we will continue to promote the continuous improvement of such services so all children can receive comprehensive and quality care.

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LOS CABOS CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION

Our Spirit of Love was born in 2004 as the second cause served by LCCF and with the purpose of providing permanent care to children and adolescents with congenital heart defects in Baja California Sur. Since then, Omaha Children’s Hospital & Medical Center took care of the Southern Baja children who needed heart surgery. Nine years after and until 2017, the Omaha team came twice a year for surgical rounds in the facilities of Salvatierra Hospital. Opening Hearts is a nonprofit that was formed specifically for mentoring and training the entire local team involved in the program, both in Omaha and La Paz. In 2017, the State Pediatric Cardiology Program achieved accreditation from the federal government in order to receive funding. Thanks to this, today it is possible to diagnose, treat and perform corrective procedures throughout the year to children in the state with this health condition through the local team of doctors and nurses.

CONGENITAL HEART DEFECTS In Baja California Sur, congenital malformations, deformities and chromosomal abnormalities are the second cause of death in children between 1 and 4 years old.

In Mexico, congenital heart defects are considered the first cause of hospitalization in newborns with congenital malformations. At LCCF we work so that BCS children and adolescents with congenital heart defects have permanent access to quality and comprehensive medical care.

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ESPIRITUS Our Spirit of Hope was born in 2013 with the creation of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) as a requirement to achieve the accreditation of the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Unit of Salvatierra Hospital. The creation of the PICU also allowed the possibility to perform open-heart surgeries on children and adolescents because the specialized and quality post-op care was now available. In time, the PICU raised the quality of care in the whole pediatrics area of Salvatierra Hospital. We later included the support to other programs through this spirit, such as the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where critically ill newborns are cared for, and the Pediatric Subspecialty Residency Program, which through the proper training of the residents, raises the quality and availability of pediatric care in Baja California Sur.

CRITICAL HEALTH In 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) set the “Millennium Goals”, where goal 4 stands out: “Reduce mortality in children under 5 years by two-thirds by 2015”.

At LCCF we contribute to the reduction of children and adolescent mortality and morbidity by promoting the opening of better health care spaces such as pediatric intensive care units, since their planned and careful installation can easily reduce mortality by at least 50%. We also serve families’ needs to ensure that they have access to adequate services and we support the health sector with equipment and training to improve critical health care for children and adolescents in Baja California Sur.

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LOS CABOS CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION

Our Spirit of Service was born in 2006. Since its foundation, LCCF has worked hand in hand with other nonprofits to improve the quality of life of children and adolescents in Baja California Sur. In this spirit is where we group the organizations that address general health, disabilities, mental health and prevention. Since 2016, when we structured and opened our grant making process, we have been able to multiply the number of programs supported in this spirit, as well as work on new health issues. The mental and social health of children and adolescentes became important areas of focus. We supported programs that work on the promotion of a healthy lifestyle that prevents obesity and addictions and that built psychological programs for children at risk and under state protection. In 2018, we strengthened our knowledge of the existing needs in our Southern Baja communities, by supporting a Health Diagnosis that we plan to expand and update in 2022.

DISABILITIES According to information produced by the census carried out by INEGI in Baja California Sur, 4% of the population has a disability, of which 8% are children under 14 years of age. The issue of disability has been a focus of LCCF for more than 10 years, but it was in 2017, after the opening of LCCF’s grant making process, that the number of applicant organizations dedicated to disabilities increased. In the last 4 years, this health issue has had the most growth, going from 1 to 11 supported organizations.

GENERAL HEALTH Thanks to a health diagnosis that we funded in 2018, we were able to confirm that the health issues that have been supported respond to the most relevant health needs in children and adolescents in the state and that there are a couple of issues that could become important as the population continues to grow.

Programs dedicated to screen the general health and wellbeing of children help us detect other more critical issues. It is key to the fulfillment of our mission to have a profound knowledge of the community’s needs and the projects that serve them.

MENTAL HEALTH

In Mexico, of the total federal budget allocated to health, only 2% is directed to mental health and 80% of these resources are directed to serving adults. These figures are alarming considering that 50% of mental disorders begin before the age of 21, as reported by the National Survey of Psychiatric Epidemiology. In 2018, LCCF began its support of this health issue by recognizing the importance of bringing quality mental health services and professionals to the children and adolescents in Baja California Sur.

PREVENTION Preventive medicine focuses on people and communities with medical practices that prevent and avoid disease. In 2017, in LCCF we decided to go beyond intervention by promoting a preventive complement in each of the programs we support and, at the same time, support initiatives that seek to reduce and eradicate childhood obesity and addictions, as well as the morbidities caused by them, in order to transform the quality of life of children and adolescents in Baja California Sur.

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20 YEARS OF FULFILLING DREAMS The dream that founded LCCF with our Spirit of Joy and of Hope LCCF created access to first class medical services for children with cancer - Tom’s dream inspired the foundation of our organization, opened the way for other critical issues to be treated and, to this day, continues to fulfill the dreams of those families with a child with cancer locally, comprehensively and permanently.

In Baja California Sur, cancer is the first cause of death for children between 5 and 14 years of age. LCCF was born in 2002 because there was no place in Los Cabos or Baja California Sur to treat a child with cancer and children were sent to our founder’s home town of Sioux Falls to get treatment. This is how our Spirit of Joy was born to give comprehensive support to children with cancer.

Armando was 4 years old when he was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a disease very similar to blood cancer, and was one of the first cases to be sent to the United States for evaluation and treatment by Los Cabos Children’s Foundation. After months of staying at Casa Carlitos, a shelter financed by LCCF to receive children from BCS with cancer, and receiving chemotherapy, Armando and his family were able to fulfill their most important dream in those dark days, that Armando could receive a bone marrow transplant from his younger brother who was 11 months old at the time. Armando’s brother was the youngest donor in the history of the renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Thanks to the team effort and the unity of an entire community, today Armando is a 23-year-old young man who can live his life fully and achieve all his dreams with dedication and effort.

2003

2022

“It’s a new opportunity - you don’t give it only to the child, you give it to the whole family. Thank you for everything!” Armando, beneficiary of our Spirit of Joy 10

LOS CABOS CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION

In 2007, the seeds were planted for local, comprehensive and permanent medical attention with three important actions. First, we joined forces with Amigos de los Niños (ADLN), a local organization that already had some years of experience in children’s health and with some childhood cancer cases that found no solution. Then, this alliance expanded to the Sinaloa Pediatric Hospital, where more than 60 children and adolescents from BCS were diagnosed or treated and stayed at Casa Valentina.

During the course of 6 years, ADLN managed to screen these children locally and made the necessary arrangements for their families to travel to Culiacan and have access to supplies and medication so their daughters and sons could be healed. Finally, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital did a Site Assessment Report based on two visits made to La Paz in 2007 and 2013 to consider the feasibility of opening a cancer unit and making specific recommendations for it to be in place and operating successfully.

Jeanie Conzemius was part of Los Cabos Children’s Foundation from the beginning of its operations. Jeanie and her family welcomed Children and Youth from Los Cabos into her home and made them part of her family. Jeanie’s hard work in the early years of LCCF was not only a pillar of support for families but also a spark for the transformation of health services in Baja California Sur. Jeanie continues to be a source of inspiration for all of us who want to change the world, one child at a time.

2007 “I want to encourage you all to continue with your generosity because that is why it is thriving, that is why there is a cancer center in La Paz, that is why there is a heart program in La Paz, that is why you have staff in Mexico now and not somebody up in South Dakota.” - Jeanie 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

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Barbara arrived at the Salvatierra Hospital emergency room in 2007 with clear symptoms of a blood disease. That day she was treated by the pediatrician, Dr. Rogelio Ortiz, who at that time was waiting for the visit of four pediatric oncologists sent by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, including Dr. Eduardo Altamirano, as well as Gay Thatcher from Amigos de los Niños and Tom Walsh and Jeanie Conzemius of the Los Cabos Children’s Foundation. This group was doing a feasibility study to open an Oncology Unit in La Paz and provide care and treatment to children and youth with cancer in the state. The oncologists were able to diagnose her with leukemia, which prompted Dr. Altamirano to transfer her to the Sinaloa Pediatric Hospital where he could treat her. For 3 years, Barbara received cancer treatment thanks to this alliance with Amigos de los Niños, the Pediatric Hospital of Sinaloa and Casa Valentina Culiacan. Today, Barbara works as a teacher in the mornings and in the afternoons she studies to be a teacher. She is a 21 year old young woman who lives her life to the fullest and who is fulfilling her dreams.

2007

2022

“I really didn’t understand, I was very small, I didn’t realize what was happening, I just felt sick and they would take me to hospitals and with many doctors. It was until they carried me onto a plane, because my legs hurt a lot, that I understood I had to leave my home town.” Barbara, beneficiary of our Spirit of Joy St. Jude’s assessment concluded that, given the volume of children with cancer at the time and the new facilities of Salvatierra Hospital inaugurated in 2010, a unit could be adapted. In 2012, Dr. Altamirano, pediatric oncologist who cared for BCS children in Sinaloa, came to La Paz to begin treating childhood cancer cases for the first time in our state, through weekly visits to the State Oncology Center. Finally, in 2013, the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Unit (UHOP) opened its doors to provide specialized, quality and permanent care close to the child’s home, family, school and friends. This was a turning point for the history of Baja California Sur because it made it possible to guarantee the right to health and well-being and access to quality services for thousands of BCS children.

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LOS CABOS CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION

Estrellita was 5 years old when, through the work of her mother, she was referred to Dr. Rogelio Ortiz, director of the State Oncology Center in La Paz, who at that time treated adults 6 days a week and children only 1 day. Dr. Altamirano traveled from Culiacan to La Paz to provide care only to children and youth who were already in a stable and final phase of their treatment.

New cases were diagnosed and sent for treatment at the Sinaloa Pediatric Hospital. Estrellita was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and she had to start her treatment immediately to ensure her success. However, the financial conditions of Estrellita’s family were very precarious, since it was made up of her mother, grandparents, aunt and 4 siblings and they subsisted on the grandfather’s pension and a modest income from her mother. The transfer to Sinaloa implied that they would lose the main family income, so the doctors made the decision to start and complete Estrellita’s treatment in La Paz, with the support of different non-profit organizations such as Amigos de los Niños and Los Cabos Children’s Foundation. Today Estrellita is cancer free and is 15 year old a teenager who can live her dreams to the fullest.

“That’s why I asked the doctor because the treatment was the same and the advantages were many because here I abandoned my children a lot, but at least we were close. Through a window I could see them sometimes when there was a possibility that my parents would take them to me” - Chuyita, mother of Estrella, beneficiary of the Spirit of Joy

2012

2022

Since the UHOP was founded in 2013 and to this day, we not only support the personnel and provide supplies and equipment, we also support supplementary programs that guarantee the success of the medical treatment of each child: lodging, nutrition and family support in Casa Valentina, art and play therapy through organizations like Fundacion Mark and transportation for Los Cabos families with the Teleton Bus. Also, in order to accredit the unit in 2014, the first pediatric intensive care unit in the state was created and it remains the only one of its kind since 2013.

This is how our Spirit of Hope was born to continue saving hundreds of children with critical health needs.

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Leo is a cheerful and charismatic boy who loves to play with the animals on the ranch where he lives. When Leo was 1 year old, he was admitted to the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Unit (UHOP) of Salvatierra Hospital in La Paz with a diagnosis of Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Since then, Leo has been accompanied not only by his family, but also by a great team: the medical staff of the UHOP where he receives his chemotherapies, the staff of the Casa Valentina Social Assistance Shelter that provides them with lodging, food and psychological services, the Fundación Mark playrooms where Leo can enjoy his childhood, playing and learning at the hospital and the Teleton Bus team that transports Leo and his mother Evangelina every week from Los Cabos to La Paz. Leo’s journey has been complicated, since in January 2020 he went on surveillance and three months later he relapsed, but that does not stop Leo or his family. He continues to receive treatment at the UHOP to this day and he is a child who laughs, plays and enjoys his childhood, knowing that there is a whole community working so that each of his dreams come true.

“(I want to be) a doctor because they are healing me.” Leo, beneficiary of our Spirit of Joy

2015

2022

Our Spirit of Love and access to more specialized services for children LCCF expanded access to high quality health services to children with congenital heart defects - a dream that later brought other health issues to be included and that inspired local, comprehensive, and permanent care for children with heart disease, so they can continue to fulfill their dreams.

Our Spirit of Love began in 2004 as the second cause of LCCF’s focus to give permanent attention to children with heart defects in BCS. Since 2004, Omaha Children’s Hospital & Medical Center received BCS children that needed surgeries or catheterizations to fix the malformation in their heart. After 13 families traveled to Omaha, Perla’s case came along to transform the history of congenital heart defects in our state.

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Perla and her family arrived in Los Cabos in 2013 looking for help, since Mexico City did not give them an encouraging prognosis for the heart problem that she presented. In their search, they found Dr. Alejandro Velderrain, an adult cardiologist in San Jose del Cabo, and pediatric cardiologist Dr. Richard McFaul, who diagnosed dozens of girls and boys before we ever dreamed of offering cardiology services for children permanently. After assessing her, they told her that there were possibilities to support her through Los Cabos Children’s Foundation. That same year, Perla and her family traveled to Sioux Falls in the United States, where they stayed at Casa Carlitos, a shelter built in the city of our founder to receive children and youth from Baja California Sur. Finally, Dr. James Hammel, a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon at Omaha Children’s Hospital, operated on Perla when she was 15 years old.

After this surgery, Dr. Hammel, knowing that a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit already existed, made the decision to travel with his team to Baja California Sur to treat children and youth in Southern Baja locally and for this reason Perla is a turning point for improving the quality of life of children in Baja California Sur. Today Perla is 23 years old, she likes to sing, do nails and make up and she hopes very soon to be able to fulfill her dream of being a mother and continue enjoying a full and happy life.

“When I was little, I was too frustrated, I got very tired, I couldn’t walk much. Now I can run, I can jump, even exercise. It’s been a very big change for me, as a person and in my life.” Perla, beneficiary of the State Pediatric Cardiology Program

2014

2022

In 2013, Omaha Children’s support evolved to traveling twice a year to do surgical rounds in Juan Maria de Salvatierra General Hospital and to training, both in Omaha and in La Paz, the local team that was forming.

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In 2013, Valeria was 6 years old when a family friend of hers heard about the pediatric surgery rounds that were taking place at Salvatierra Hospital. Dr. Hammel’s team evaluated her, diagnosed her with a very complex heart disease and began a 9-month process of studies and diagnostic catheterization, to finally receive her first surgery. Efforts to improve Valeria’s quality of life continued with five catheterizations and two more surgeries at the ages of 9 and 11. Valeria continues her follow-up appointments at Salvatierra Hospital and the dental evaluations recommended by the cardiologist are carried out in one of our Partner Programs, Los Niños del Capitan. Today, Valeria is 15 years old, she no longer gets tired doing physical activities, which allows her to enjoy dancing, her favorite hobby. She is a freshman in high school and knows that with a strong heart there is nothing that stands between her and her dreams.

2014

2022

“3 open heart surgeries, 5 catheterizations and several procedures in which they all looked out for my daughter.” Charito, mother of Valeria, beneficiary of our Spirit of Love Dr. Rogelio Ortíz is a pediatrician committed to the health and well-being of children in South California, motivated by his own personal struggle as the father of a girl with congenital heart disease. In 2007, Dr. Ortíz had the opportunity to meet a group of physicians interested in building a Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Unit in Baja California Sur. They presented it with Tom Walsh, Gay Thatcher and Jeanie Conzemius who at that time had already been working together for a better quality of life for children in Los Cabos for 5 years, through the alliance between Amigos de los Niños and Los Cabos Children’s Foundation. This meeting marked the beginning of the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Unit and all the other highly specialized services for children that exist today at Salvatierra Hospital.

When Dr. Ortíz learned about Tom’s dream and the work of Los Cabos Children’s Foundation, Dr. Jim Hammel was already treating children of Baja California Sur at the Omaha Children’s Hospital and Dr. Ortíz had an active role in the coordination of the first open heart surgery in the history of Baja California Sur in 2013. It was a key player in the 12 surgical rounds that followed until 2019, as well as in the construction of the State Pediatric Cardiology Program, with which it collaborates to this day. Dr. Ortiz considers that his career as a doctor is a means through which to help families in need and is one more example of perseverance to fulfill the dreams of children in Baja California Sur. 16

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2018 “I feel privileged, blessed that I do what I like, my hobby, and that since April 25, 2007, I have all the tools to offer children every treatment they need.” Dr. Rogelio Ortiz, making dreams come true in medical care

In 2017, the program was accredited and this secured the federal funds needed so that today it is still possible to diagnose, treat and perform surgeries and caths at any given moment for children with this condition.

Jessely is a cheerful girl who at 9 months old suffered from pneumonia that led her to be hospitalized at the General Hospital in San José del Cabo. She was later transferred to Salvatierra Hospital where a heart disease was detected. Jassely’s case was followed up by the State Pediatric Cardiology Program team from the start. Since Jessely was a low-weight baby and her hospitalization had only worsened her condition, the team decided to wait for her to gain weight and improve her general condition to receive the surgery she needed. The waiting and improvement process was very complicated for Jessely, as she had to undergo a series of tests and when it finally seemed that she was ready for surgery at the beginning of 2020, COVID made it impossible for surgical events to be scheduled at Salvatierra Hospital. Finally, in 2021, the surgery that transformed Jessely’s life was achieved. Today Jessely is 3 years old and she continues in check-ups with the team. We saw Jessely’s mother’s dream come true that her daughter could have a full and happy life.

“It really is something that one cannot pay and it’s my daughter’s life; it’s her health, everything!

Everything starts from there, so thank you all very much!

May God bless you.” Samanta, mother of Jessely, beneficiary of our Spirit of Love

2021

2022

The opportunity to have highly specialized medical services with the support of international hospitals, has resulted in attracting more specialists, in having more qualified personnel influencing other hospitals in the state and in making more dreams a reality for many families that can now see their children grow up in good health and develop to live a happy life.

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Our Spirit of Service and teamwork with other nonprofits LCCF created opportunities for 65 nonprofit organizations in our state to grow, strengthen and even fulfill a dream of formalizing the altruistic work they do for the community - promoting collaboration among organizations, complementing teamwork through alliances with the work of our own programs (Volunteering, Capacity Building and Community Attention), and achieving better quality of life for children and youth, through local, comprehensive and permanent health and wellness services that help them reach their dreams.

From its origins, LCCF has worked hand in hand with other nonprofits to improve the quality of life of children and youth in Baja California Sur. Our Spirit of Service was born in 2006 to support the organizations that took care of general health issues in children. LCCF has also worked to expand available services by promoting successful and high quality models, like in the case of Teleton’s rehabilitation center for children, which we wanted to bring to Los Cabos in 2009 and finally opened in La Paz in 2011.

Korey Riggs began his path in philanthropy through his participation with Up with People / Viva la Gente, an organization that seeks to empower young people to become agents of change for communities. After a visit to Los Cabos by Up with People, he learned about Los Cabos Children’s Foundation and later becomes its Executive Director. Between 2008 and 2011, Korey worked tirelessly to support programs that benefit children in Baja California Sur. One of the most outstanding projects of those dates is the search for the construction of a CRIT in Los Cabos. Pursuing the dream of thousands of families of children and youth with disabilities in Baja California Sur, Korey traveled to Mexico City along with a group of Los Cabos Children’s Foundation board members, including our founder, Tom Walsh, to meet with Fernando Landeros, founder and board chair of Fundacion Teleton. In 2011 Korey left Los Cabos Children’s Foundation and the CRIT had already become a reality in the city of La Paz. Since 2018 he directs the El Dorado & Chileno Bay Foundations and focuses on fostering collaboration between organizations to finance community projects and, together with Los Cabos Children’s Foundation, creates Los Cabos Community Alliance. The first project of this alliance was operated by CRIT Baja California Sur to transport children and youth from Los Cabos to receive their physical therapies at CRIT, as well as medical services in other institutions, such as Salvatierra Hospital. Korey is an example of experience in philanthropy and teamwork for common goals to multiply the impact of organizations and the dreams of a community.

“We are going to make this community something that does not exist somewhere else, it is actually possible here and we need your help to do it, just get involved.” Korey Riggs, Making dreams come true as a Strategic Ally 18

LOS CABOS CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION

2009

2022

Dr. Maria Elena Lerma arrived in La Paz in 2012 to work at CRIT Baja California Sur, from where she has witnessed the power that collaboration has to transform the quality of life of communities in the state. Through CRIT Baja California Sur, hundreds of children and youth with disabilities have access to specialized services. An example of this transformative power is what makes CRIT Baja California Sur stand out from other CRITs in the country, since it is the only one that has a special support fund financed by the LCCF with which access to medical equipment, assistance, prosthetics, Orthotics and surgeries to complement their therapies, obtain a better development of their individual capacities and thus achieve their inclusion in society. Another example of the collective impact obtain by collaboration is the Teleton Bus, which transports children from Los Cabos to La Paz to receive specialized services, not only at CRIT, but also at the Salvatierra Hospital and other health institutions.

This project was devised by the Los Cabos Community Alliance and is possible thanks to the joint efforts of civil society organizations such as El Dorado and Chileno Bay Foundations and Los Cabos Children’s Foundation, as well as the participation of businesses and other donors from the community and the municipal government, all committed to a joint goal that is to give children access to better services. Dr. Lerma’s work at CRIT leaves an indelible mark on the lives of hundreds of families who today make their dreams come true.

2022

“We have definitely discovered and today we can assure and are witnesses that when we work as a team we achieve greater goals, we manage to benefit a greater number of children and give them the most specialized treatments.” Dr. Maria Elena Lerma, making dreams come true in our Spirit of Service

Since 2016, with the launch of our grant request process, we could reach new programs, like CRIT BCS, and work strategically on health issues like disabilities, mental health, and prevention.

Raymond came to Los Cabos Children’s Foundation through our Community Attention Program with a suspected rare genetic disease that requires multidisciplinary care. Community Attention turned to our Partner Programs network to offer Raymond the best opportunities with referral to CRIT Baja California Sur, where he has received comprehensive rehabilitation services and was provided with specialized Bipap oxygenation equipment that allows him to improve his quality of sleep by being able to breathe better and also improves other aspects of his life. Another benefit that Raymond has received is the care of different pediatric subspecialists at Hospital Salvatierra in La Paz, such as surgerons, opthalmologistis and ENT doctors. We continue working to make Raymond’s life better and for him to fulfill his dreams hand in hand with his family, a multidisciplinary team and the community that supports us.

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2021

2022

“My dream is to see him achieve this; well, in fact, right now, many of my dreams have come true because he is super changed.” Estefani, mother of Raymond, beneficiary of CRIT, LCCF’s Community Attention, and Salvatierra Hospital

In this process, we could get to know other health and wellness needs in the children of our communities and we helped materialize the dreams of visionaries like Tannia, founder of ComuniCabo, who created a program that served an overlooked need in Los Cabos: speech therapy for children with cleft lip and palate. Regina is now a young lady who was the inspiration for her mother to found two programs that have greatly improved the quality of life of children with autism spectrum disorder in Los Cabos: Red Autismo and Casa Rame. Investing in the potential of these programs has resulted in more dreams coming true for hundreds of families.

Maria and Joana are sisters of 7 and 6 years of age and both were born with cleft lip and palate, for which they underwent surgery from the first months of birth. As a consequence of their condition, Maria and Joana had language delays, but this does not prevent them from being very happy girls. In 2019, they joined ComuniCabo, a non-profit organization that was born from the dream of Tannia, who after years as a speech therapist and Smiles International volunteer, identified a need to follow up with speech therapy for children and youth receiving corrective surgeries and approached Los Cabos Children’s Foundation for guidance and support.

Her dream was to have a space to carry out therapies so that children could communicate their ideas and feelings in the best way possible to live a full and happy life. Maria and Joana are the living example of that dream come true. Maria has finished her therapies with satisfaction and now she is a very self-confident girl with excellent grades in school. Joana continues her process and is awaiting a second corrective surgery. Together, they have the strength to achieve their dreams supported by an entire community.

“I want to be a primary school teacher and help other children with cleft palates.” María, beneficiary of our Spirit of Service

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LOS CABOS CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION

Regina was 4 years old when she was diagnosed with autistic spectrum syndrome in the city of Monterrey. She started with therapies in Los Cabos at a very high cost, so her mother, Francis Doring, together with Lemonia Aretos, mother of another child with autism, founded a nonprofit organization supports children and youth with autism to reach their potential. That initial dream of two mothers concerned about the future of their children, has made it possible for hundreds of girls and boys with autism like Regina and Daniel to now have access to therapies and improve their quality of life and independence at Red Autismo. There, Regina learned techniques to communicate and interact with others that allowed her to improve her quality of life. However, in 2017, Francis, aware of Regina’s needs for social contact, began a search for groups and spaces where she could live freely and, not finding anything suitable, decides to create a nonprofit organization called Grupo Rame. In 2019, they opened the doors of Casa Rame as a place where young people with disabilities can obtain tools to be independent for the rest of their lives and where the parents of these young people see their dreams of years come true when they learn about the extraordinary abilities of their children. Today Regina is one of the most disciplined workers at Grupo Rame. She attends her working hours and carries out the assigned activities with dedication and commitment. Her specialty is the preparation of desserts that give her sustainability so that the program reaches more young people who, like her, can fulfill her dreams.

“We work with different disabilities and we take everything they learn in other therapy centers as younger children and give a practical meaning to it.”

- Francis, mother of Regina, inspiration and beneficiary of Casa Rame

We also expanded our model of intervention by formalizing our own programs. Volunteering is key to our presence in the community and the community’s participation in our mission. Capacity Building transformed our support for nonprofits from just financial to institutional and strengthening to achieve greater impact and learn together how to better serve childhood.

Community Attention brings information and support that improves the quality of life of BCS families.

Ian is 8 years old and at his young age he has had to live through very hard times, such as the death of his father in 2019, which led him to be under the care of his grandparents. Since Ian was 8 months old, they noticed that he did not see well but the family thought it was not serious.

At school, the teachers discovered that Ian’s vision problem prevented him from doing well in school and after seeing an optometrist who did not help with the problem, an ophthalmologist finally diagnosed him with congenital bilateral cataracts and referred them to Los Cabos Children’s Foundation so that they could receive the support he needed. The treatment for this diagnosis is eye surgery which is not performed in the public sector in BCS and unfortunately Ian’s grandparents could not afford it. Lucila, Ian’s grandmother, contacted the LCCF Community Attention Program in October 2021 and a month later, Ian received his cataract surgery. Today Ian is a happy boy, who has fulfilled his dream of seeing the world in full color for the first time, which allows him to enjoy his childhood and live a fuller life.

“I asked God and the foundation answered me.” Lucila, grandmother of Ian, beneficiary of our Spirit of Service 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

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MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE IN BCS, ONE CHILD AT A TIME!

SUPPORTED PROGRAMS IN 2021-2022

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LCCF PROGRAMS LCCF Volunteering was formally born in Los Cabos in 2015, in response to the interest of people in the community to offer their talents, skills and passions for the benefit of children and their families. In the last 6 years, our volunteers have worked on the program’s goals and structure, managing to consolidate itself as an internal program with its own mission, vision and values, ​​aligned with those of Los Cabos Children’s Foundation.

The focus of the time and talent of our volunteers is divided into: 3 volunteering opportunities: 1. Bond with the community 2. Link with programs 3. Support to fulfill the LCCF mission and is organized in 6 committees: 1. Family Support 2. Blood Donation 3. Events 4. Resource Management 5. Crafts 6. Reading Workshop Our Community Attention Program was created in 2016 with the purpose of serving children and youth with critical health needs that are not covered by their healthcare provider or that their family cannot afford. We provide guidance through our knowledge of the health context, we make referrals through our network of Partner Programs and Strategic Allies, and we give in-kind support such as medications, tests or procedures that improve the child’s quality of life.

Los Cabos Children’s Foundation’s capacity building efforts began was born in 2016 as a tool to provide the different programs supported by LCCF a space for integration, where they could share experiences and work together.In 2018, based on a detection of specific training needs, we focused on providing more opportunities for strengthening related professionalization, best practices and transparency, as well as operational issues, such as board of directors management and fundraising, among others.

We seek to enhance the capacities of nonprofits in Baja California Sur, which is why in 2020 our Capacity Building Program evolved to become one of the internal programs of LCCF with an operating budget. With the support from our strategic ally, the Mexican Center for Philanthropy (CEMEFI), we increased the number of training sessions and referred our Partner Programs so they could receive different specialized support services.

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STRATEGIC PARTNERS Our Strategic Allies help us to achieve our mission. Thanks to them we can multiply the effects of our actions with the common goal of serving BCS families. Teamwork drives our desire to continue learning to better serve our community. This moves us to find common ground with other organizations that have mission alignment to improve the quality of life of children in our state.

1. Collective Investment & Community Projects: Funding and executing together the projects that make a difference in our community: ICF El Dorado & Chileno Bay Foundations LCCA - Los Cabos Community Alliance BCSCA - Baja California Sur Community Alliance Government Intersectoral collaboration is not new to us. Approaching local, state and federal authorities is vital in order to coordinate the work we all do for the population that needs us the most.

Secretary of Health State Family Services Agency (SEDIF, for its acronym in Spanish) 2. Strengthening and specialization: Continuous learning and team-work motivate us to seek a better future for our community. Being able to enrich our team’s knowledge by interacting with organizations with wide experience and proven results is an opportunity we value and appreciate.

CEMEFI REDIM 3. Joining forces for specific issues and goals in children’s health: México en Alianza con St. Jude Alumbra Innovation Foundation We will promote collective spaces like these to strengthen the bonds that unite us, keep learning together and continue to serve our community better.

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INVOLVE YOUR COMPANY At Los Cabos Children’s Foundation, we seek to build awareness in our community about the most serious health challenges for children so that together we can be the architects of change. You can change the life of hundreds of children and youth in Baja California Sur through your company with social responsibility actions by adopting one of our fundraising opportunities: Become a Proud Partner: Our Proud Partners make one or more types of cash donations throughout the year.

Corporate donation: the company donates an amount from its income, being able to deduct up to 7% of the profits of the previous year with our donation receipt.

Donations from employees: either through the company or directly, employees decide to donate a percentage of their income.

Donations from customers: the company adopts a permanent fundraising program, providing their customers the opportunity to make contributions for the benefit of the community and highlighting its commitment as a socially responsible company.

Become a Friend: Our Friends make in-kind donations of goods, services, and experiences that support our operations and help us fulfill our mission more efficiently and at a lower cost.

Become a Sponsor: Our Sponsors support us in specific situations with donations in kind or in money.

2021 ANNUAL REPORT

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FINANCIALS

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HOW TO DONATE? Thanks to the generosity of people like YOU, for 20 years, Los Cabos Children’s Foundation has been able to support more than 65,000 children through its partner programs all across the state of Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Thanks to donors like you we can change the world, one child at a time!

Ways to donate: • For tax deduction in the U.S.: Donate online through our website: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/DonateLCCFWebsite • Make a domestic U.S. Dollar Wire: Beneficiary Bank: MidWestOne Bank Bank Address: 102 S. Clinton St., Iowa City, Iowa 52244 ABA/Routing # 073901233 Beneficiary: Los Cabos Children’s Foundation Beneficiary Account Number: 4355102 • Mail a U.S. check to our U.S. address: 1585 Thomas Center Drive, Suite 101, Eagan, MN 55122 Make the check payable to: Los Cabos Children’s Foundation You can also deliver it in our Los Cabos office by writing to: development @loscaboschildren.org • Make a stock donation: UBS Account: LO 22394 JL Beneficiary: Los Cabos Children’s Foundation

• For tax deduction in Canada: Donate to LCCF in Canadian Dollars through Monarca Foundation. https://monarcafoundation.ca/how-to-donate/

When you have processed your donation, please notify us by writing to: development@loscaboschildren.org

2021 ANNUAL REPORT

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