WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. - ColoradoDesk -- To celebrate 16 years of providing critical surgical care to children in the US and abroad, Mending Kids is hosting its Sweet 16 Imagine Gala on Saturday, April 17 from 5-6 p.m. PST. The virtual fundraising event will be streaming live and free to anyone who registers at events.mendingkids.org/gala . In addition to the gala, an online auction will open on April 12 and close on April 19.

Participants are invited to a virtual experience of lively auctions and entertainment. The hour-long event will feature a variety of guests, with appearances from Dr. Oz, Gene Simmons and country music singer Chase Bryant. Attendees will receive a special gift box filled with everything needed for a sweet celebration,​ all in support of providing critical surgical care for sick children in the US and around the world.

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Recognized for their outstanding achievements, the 2021 honorees and recipients of the Mend, Love and Hope awards are Armenian-American plastic surgeon, Mending Kids board member, and surgical mission lead, Dr. Andre Panossian, and multi talented writer, musician and influencer, Nick Simmons; and Mending Kids cardiac patient, Danna Ramon.

Since 2005, Mending Kids has deployed hundreds of volunteer surgical teams on missions around the world helping children in poverty-stricken and underserved communities, as well as mentoring and empowering local medical professionals, elevating their standards of care and leading them on a path to self-sustainment.

"We can't save the world but we can save a life and the universe comes with it."-Isabelle Fox, Executive Director, Mending Kids

Contributions will help the nonprofit in continuing to provide funding for its core life-saving programs: Hometown Mission, Mend US, Overseas Surgical Mission, and Individual Surgical Care, a program where volunteer surgical teams correct acute conditions such as, congenital heart, colorectal malformations, plastic and burns, orthopedic abnormalities, and severe scoliosis.

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For details about the event, register for a spot, or contribute, please visit events.mendingkids.org/gala

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @mendingkids

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To schedule an interview with Dorothy Lucey, Mending Kids board member, or Isabelle Fox, Executive Director of Mending Kids, please contact Adrienne Johnson.

About Mending Kids

Mending Kids is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization that provides free life-saving critical surgical care to children in the United States and around the world from over 66 countries by deploying volunteer medical teams and educating communities to become medically self-sustaining. Since 2005, Mending Kids has mended nearly 4,500 children. Our surgical teams donate their time and services to train and perform procedures that range from interventional cardiology, open-heart, neuro, otolaryngology, plastic, orthopedic or general surgeries.