Our Mission
The mission of
Fresh Start Caring For Kids Foundation is to transform the lives of disadvantaged infants, children, and teens suffering from physical deformities caused by birth defects, accidents, abuse, or disease through the gift of reconstructive surgery and related healthcare services.
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Surgery Weekend Recap
October 2015
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The surgeries that were
performed included a bilateral mastopexy, nasal cleft repair, release of bands resulting from Amniotic Band Syndrome (ABS), and excision of a head scar.
We are thrilled by the success of the surgeries performed and are very grateful to our volunteer medical team, support staff, and The University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital for their support.
For the past year, Corner Bakery Cafe and A10 have served as our generous breakfast and lunch sponsors. With their support, we were able to provide nourishing and sustainable meals to our dedicated volunteers. Their donation is truly immeasurable, and we hope to work together with them again in the near future!
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Volunteer Spotlight: Dr. Lawrence Zachary
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Fresh Start Caring For Kids Foundation is excited to introduce Lawrence Zachary, MD, as a volunteer surgeon. He is a nationally recognized and revered expert and researcher in plastic and reconstructive surgery. As a Chicago native, Dr. Zachary completed medical school at Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University. Upon graduation, he completed his residency at The University of Chicago Medicine and Detroit Medical Center. He has received board certifications in Plastic Surgery, General Surgery, and Hand Surgery. Since 1986, he has served on staff at The University of Chicago Medicine. Currently, he serves as Professor of Surgery Section of the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at The University of Chicago Medicine. He specializes in liposuction; body contouring post weight loss surgery; breast and hand surgery; body lift procedures of the thigh, arm, and face; and pelvic floor reconstruction in patients who have had surgery for cancer or inflammatory bowel disease.
In addition to providing patients with reconstructive surgery, he is very committed to allocating some of his time and skills towards helping others. He uses his expertise and reconstructive techniques to provide breast reconstructive surgeries to breast cancer survivors. He is also responsible for establishing one of Chicago's first post-bariatric surgery support groups. It is his desire and willingness to help others that initiated his involvement with Fresh Start Caring For Kids Foundation. He states, "Giving back to the community, especially the kids, who are very innocent and need reconstructive surgery to correct their abnormalities, is a very gratifying experience." He continues, "Kids are very honest and often times say things that hurt other children; correcting the abnormalities helps children fit in better among their peers." He has performed several surgeries with Fresh Start. Specifically, he has provided surgeries to children with hand, feet, and soft tissue abnormalities. As a result of his positive experience with Fresh Start, Dr. Zachary envisions the organization having a tremendous impact on the lives of Chicago-area and international children. According to Dr. Zachary, "Fresh Start is an amazing way for children to obtain the care they otherwise wouldn't be able to afford."
When Dr. Zachary is not working at one of his three practices or donating his time to help and support others, he enjoys exercising, traveling, and reading books. Although he provides joy and new beginnings in the lives of his patients, he receives the most joy from spending time with his family. Currently, he is awaiting the arrival of his first grandchild. He states, "I have my first grandchild due in November, whose arrival will change my life considerably." Equipped with surgical expertise and genuine compassion for people, it is no surprise that Dr. Zachary is one for the most respected surgeons amongst his colleagues. Fresh Start is incredibly honored to have Dr. Zachary as a member of our volunteer medical team.
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Recap: Celebrity Golf Classic - Hosted by Jermaine Dye
(
Chicago White Sox, 2005 World Series MVP)
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Special thanks to Jermaine Dye (Chicago White Sox,
2005 World Series MVP) for hosting an evening of fun on August 30, 2015 and a terrific day of golf on August 31, 2015.
The event began on Sunday evening with a pre- tournament party at Lucky Strike in Chicago. On Monday, golfers brought their best golf shot to the Celebrity Golf Classic at The Beverly Country Club, Chicago.
Here is a list of the celebs who attended the event:
Jermaine Dye (Host)
Marcus Allen
Tim Brown
Sterling Sharpe
David Justice
Mark Mulder
Richard Dent Patrick Mannelly
Frank
Thomas
Grant Fuhr
Scott Podsednik
Ron Kittle
Dan Pasqua
Mike Huff
Donn Pall
Andre Reed
Marshall Faulk
Please use the links and passwords listed below to view photos from the event.
Password: whitesox
Password: holeinone
Special thanks to our very generous sponsors for their donation of food, drinks, desserts, music, and printing. In addition, Fresh Start is very grateful to the celebrity attendees, golfers, guests, OneBrick, and volunteers.
Golden Girl Date Farm
Thanks again, and we hope to see you at next year's event!
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Were you interested in supporting the
Celebrity Golf Classic - Hosted by Jermaine Dye? It's not too late!
For just $50, you can purchase a Travis Mathew golfer shirt. The sale of two shirts will pay for the laboratory fees of one patient for one Surgery Weekend.
 For more information about purchasing a golfer shirt, please contact Aledia Evans, Development Manager, at [email protected]. |
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| Are you an Amazon Shopper? Did you know that your shopping can support Fresh Start Caring For Kids Foundation? g  |
| Shop on AmazonSmile today and support Fresh Start Caring For Kids Foundation at the same time!
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| Fresh Start Surgical Gifts (based in San Diego, California) has teamed up with The Plastic Surgery Foundation to create Fresh Start Caring For Kids Foundation in Chicago. The addition of the Chicago site is enabling the organization grow its patient base and outreach. Surgeries are performed three times per year at The University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital.
Fresh Start Caring for Kids Foundation
c/o The Plastic Surgery Foundation
444 E. Algonquin Road
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
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Thank You for your Interest in Fresh Start Caring For Kids Foundation
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We are very grateful to all of our generous donors, sponsors, and volunteers! All of the overhead and administrative expenses for Fresh Start Caring For Kids Foundation are covered by Fresh Start Surgical Gifts and The Plastic Surgery Foundation, so that 100% of every donation directly benefits the medical needs of our patients.
Please contact Utica J. Gray, PhD, Chicago Regional Director of Fresh Start Caring For Kids Foundation, at Utica@freshstart.org or (847) 513-3326 for more information about upcoming Surgery Weekends, to volunteer, or to make a donation. If you are interested in making a donation online, please use the Paypal "donate" button above.
With your help, we can continue to transform the lives of children and their families. Thanks again for your interest and support!
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Save the Date!
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Surgery Weekend Dates
- February 20 - 21, 2016
- May 14 - 15, 2016
- October 8 - 9, 2016
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Fresh Start is now a Member of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce
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We are excited to announce that Fresh Start is now a member of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce. We are eager to establish and build relationships with business owners and companies within the community. In addition, this presents a great opportunity for us to spread the word about our mission.
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Follow and "Like" Fresh Start Caring For Kids Foundation on Facebook and Twitter
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Our website (www.freshstartkids.org) is a fantastic resource for information about our medical services, applications for prospective patients, upcoming events and Surgery Weekend dates, and volunteer opportunities. We are very excited to share our website with you. Please "like" us on Facebook (Fresh Start Caring For Kids Foundation) and follow us on Twitter (@FreshStartKids).
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