Los Cabos Children's Foundation

Spirit of Service - 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 health issues such as general health, disabilities, and mental health. 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 adolescents 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. During the 2022-2023 period, the spirit of service served 5,152 children with 152,490 services.

Spirit of Love - 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. A nonprofit 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 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. During the 2022-2023 period, the Spirit of Love served 417 children with 2,282 services.

Spirit of Hope - 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. During the 2022 - 2023 period, the Spirit of Hope served 2,470 children with 4,440 services.

Spirit of Joy - 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 moved from Sinaloa to La Paz and 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. During the 2022-2023 period, the Spirit of Joy served 2,997 children with 14,375 services.