PLATINUM2023

Fresh Start Surgical Gifts

Carlsbad, CA   |  www.FreshStart.org

Mission

Fresh Start Surgical Gifts transforms the lives of disadvantaged infants, children, and teens with physical deformities caused by birth defects, accidents, abuse, or disease through the gift of reconstructive surgery and related health care services. Our vision is to build a community of volunteers committed to seeing that every child with a physical deformity is given the opportunity to have a positive self-image, thereby enriching the lives of both the receiver and giver.

Ruling year info

1996

CEO

Shari T. Brasher

Chief Development Officer

Michelle Pius

Main address

2011 Palomar Airport Road Suite 206

Carlsbad, CA 92011 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

33-0460177

NTEE code info

Public Health Program (E70)

Children's and Youth Services (P30)

Ethnic/Immigrant Services (P84)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Fresh Start Surgical Gifts provides reconstructive plastic surgery and related services all at no cost. We take care of physical deformities and cosmetic issues caused by accident, disease, abuse and of course birth defects. I would like to clarify and expand a bit on the medical care we provide as many automatically assume that we only take patients with severe conditions, when in fact we treat a variety of issues that are causing kids to feel low self-esteem. We do laser treatments for acne and chicken pox scarring, pin ears back, breast reduction for males, tongue reduction, eye procedures to correct crossed eyes and “shaky” eyes, laser hair removal, birthmark removal and varicose vein treatments. We are all about rebuilding confidence and self-esteem. Fresh Start is the safety net for kids that are uninsured, underinsured or are being turned down by insurance or a government program for something that is deemed “cosmetic”. We care for children in the USA and around the world

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Surgery Weekend

The Surgery Weekend Program provides comprehensive, free healthcare for low-income, uninsured, and underinsured children suffering from physical deformities and other conditions. Six weekends annually, Fresh Start holds a Surgery Weekend where volunteer medical professionals perform reconstructive surgeries on children with deformities. Between each Surgery Weekend, Fresh Start also holds speech therapy clinics, dental clinics, and laser treatments to ensure a comprehensive treatment plan for each patient.At each Surgery Weekend Cycle, Fresh Start treats approximately 65 children, totaling approximately 400 children annually.Medical treatments are provided at the Fresh Start Clinic at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego by an all-volunteer team of medical professionals. Fresh Start treats a wide variety of conditions including congenital defects and deformities caused by accidents, burns, or abuse.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Economically disadvantaged people

We have expanded our services to include tattoo removal for victims of human trafficking.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Economically disadvantaged people
Undocumented immigrants
Immigrants
Cross-border families

Where we work

Awards

Daily Point of Light Award 1992

Points of Light Foundation

Volunteer Action Award 1993

The Office of the President

Healthcare Champion Honoree 2009

San Diego Business Journal

Healthcare Champion Honoree 2011

San Diego Business Journal

Best Local Nonprofit 2011

Ranch & Coast Magazine

Affiliations & memberships

Rady Children's Hospital 2009

Sanford Health 2021

Comer Children's Hospital 2014

University Health 2022

Videos

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of children served

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth

Related Program

Surgery Weekend

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

The pandemic not only caused massive unemployment, it also resulted in the the loss of employer sponsored health insurance leaving many children with correctible conditions without resources.

Number of people unable to obtain or delaying needed medical care

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

All of the children we served would not have been able to receive medical care without becoming a Fresh Start patient.

Number of volunteer health care providers

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth

Related Program

Surgery Weekend

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Not all volunteers on our roster were able to volunteer in 2021 due to restrictions in place due to the Covid 19 pandemic.

Total number of volunteer hours contributed to the organization

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth

Related Program

Surgery Weekend

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Increasing

Number of returning volunteers

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth

Related Program

Surgery Weekend

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Provide access to highly specialized medical care for disadvantaged children suffering from physical or cosmetic deformities that live in the United States and around the world. All medical care and related services are at no cost to the patient or family.

Continue to expand services to meet the needs of communities served.

Fresh Start Surgical Gifts reaches out to social service agencies, school nurses, community clinics and pediatricians to raise awareness about Fresh Start as a resource for all children in need of the medical care we provide.

To better serve the our communities, we have translated our entire website to Spanish. The visitor will have the option to view the website in either English or Spanish.

We recruit and retain a roster of 400 medical and lay volunteers that donate their time and talents to ensure that Fresh Start patients receive the best possible outcome.

To date Fresh Start has provided $49,000,000 in medical care to 8,600 patients.

Our goal is to increase our capacity to be able to offer reconstructive services to all disadvantaged children that apply for help.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

Fresh Start Surgical Gifts
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Fresh Start Surgical Gifts

Board of directors
as of 08/10/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Dr. Jeffrey Umansky

Umansky Plastic Surgery

Term: 2020 - 2022

Erik Moore

Moore, Schulman, and Moore

Jeremy Hirshberg

Strategic Zone Consulting ·

Sue Carr

Berkshire Hathaway

Jeffrey Umansky, MD

Umansky Medical Center for Plastic Surgery

Tommy Reynolds

Hardcore Fitness

Ian Sells

eComPartners

Frank Fazio

AMC Group, LLC

Traci Holley

Axos Bank

Tyson Simon

KFORCE

Maggie Shoecraft

Retired

Alex Shahabe

PC Housing

Michael Brucker

Bricker Plastic Surgery

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 1/17/2023
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Asian/Asian American
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Decline to state

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Multi-Racial/Multi-Ethnic (2+ races/ethnicities)
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 06/20/2021

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.