Fresh Start Surgical Gifts
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.
Notes from the nonprofit
Continue to identify needs in the community and work to meet those needs.
Ruling year
1996
CEO
Shari Brasher
Chief Development Officer
Michelle Pius
Main address
2011 Palomar Airport Rd Ste 206
Carlsbad, CA 92011-1432 USA
EIN
33-0460177
NTEE code
Public Health Program (E70)
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2024, 2023 and 2022.
Register now
Communication
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
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
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.
Tattoo Removal for Human Trafficking Victims
We have expanded our services to include tattoo removal for victims of human trafficking.
Where we work
-
Africa
-
Asia
-
Canada
-
Europe
-
Mexico
-
South America
-
United States
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
UMASS 2024
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of people unable to obtain or delaying needed medical care
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Surgery Weekend
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 returning volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Surgery Weekend
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Total number of volunteer hours contributed to the organization
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Surgery Weekend
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
we have expanded to San Antonio, TX, Worcester, MA and Chicago, IL to serve more children in need.
Number of volunteer health care providers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
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.
Number of children served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
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.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
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.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
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.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
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.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
To date Fresh Start has provided $60,000,000 in medical care to 9,000 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
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
-
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, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
-
Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, 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, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our 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.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild 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.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild 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 directorsas of 2/25/2025
Maggie Shoecraft
Alex Shahabe DIRECTOR
Alex Shahabe
PC Housing
Anthony Arnold DIRECTOR
Frank Fazio DIRECTOR
Frank Fazio
AMC Group, LLC
Ian Sells DIRECTOR
Jeff Umansky IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Jeffrey Umansky
Umansky Medical Center for Plastic Surgery
Jeremy Hirshberg PRESIDENT
Jeremy Hirshberg
Strategic Zone Consulting ·
Maggie Shoecraft Chief Development Officer
Maggie Shoecraft VICE PRESIDENT
Maggie Shoecraft
Retired
Margaret Phelan TREASURER
Michael Brucker
Bricker Plastic Surgery
Michael Brucker DIRECTOR
Shari Brasher EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CEO
Temple Zander DIRECTOR
Tommy Reynolds SECRETARY
Traci Holley
Axos Bank
Traci Holley DIRECTOR
Tyson Simon
KFORCE
Tyson Simon DIRECTOR
Board leadership practices
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
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:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Thanks for signing up!
An email has been sent to the address you provided. Click on the link in that email to get more GuideStar Nonprofit Profile data today!
(Don't see an email in your inbox? Click here to resend it.)
GuideStar Pro Reports
Report successfully added to your cart!
Want more data?
A GuideStar Pro report containing the following information is available for this organization:
- Email contact information
- Financial trends metrics for five most recent years 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020*
- Financial statements for 2024, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2018
- Letter of Determination
- Officer and/or Employee data for 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020
- Contractor and/or Paid Preparer data for 2024, 2023, 2022
- Board of Directors data for 2025
- *with the ability to download the data for 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020
Download it now for $125.
Need the ability to download nonprofit data and more advanced search options?Consider a Pro Search subscription.