Program areas at Leap Global Missions
Mission program: Leap conducts approximately four to six mission trips each year through the mission program. However, in 2021 and 2020, due to the covid19 pandemic and related travel and other restrictions, mission trip activity was limited. For countries Leap could not reach due to the pandemic, Leap contributed medical equipment and supplies as well as financial resources. Leap's volunteers include physicians, nurses, and other medical support staff and nonmedical volunteers who dedicate their time, expertise, and often their own financial resources. The people served by Leap live in regions with limited medical resources and socioeconomic challenges. The current outreach includes recurring mission trips and support to belize, india, zimbabwe, mexico, and haiti. In 2022, Leap performed approximately 172 specialized surgeries and 53 dental procedures in belize, mexico, and zimbabwe. Leap also provided funds for a dental machine in belize, an oxygen generator and covid vaccines in india, and hospital and other mission support in zimbabwe.
Cheryl lamon memorial program: in 2019, through the generosity of a donor, Leap created the cheryl lamon memorial program to support mission efforts in new locations. In partnership with casa josefina, an orphanage in cusco, peru, and its related medical clinic, la fuente centro de salud integral, this program helps children with craniofacial deformities and other medical and surgical needs that cannot be treated by local healthcare providers. In addition, this program brings children from india to the united states for complex surgical care or other health related issues which cannot be treated in their home country. In 2021 and 2020, Leap performed lifechanging procedures valued at approximately $325,000, of which approximately 88% were performed free of charge by physicians and hospitals dedicated to this program. Leap also provided financial support to casa josefina.
Mary lamon memorial fund: through partnership with medical city children's hospital in dallas, the mary lamon memorial fund (formerly the lamon family program) makes it possible for children with the most complex craniofacial surgical needs to travel to the united states to receive medical and surgical care. Many of the children served by Leap have such severe craniofacial abnormalities that they have been abandoned as infants or sent to palliative care facilities. Leap often pays for or greatly reduces the travel and surgical costs of the patients and also coordinates host families who will offer these children a loving and safe environment while they heal. Through this program, Leap has performed reconstructive surgery on children from 15 countries, including the bahamas, china, russia, dominican republic, belize, mexico, haiti, honduras, and india. To date, approximately 50 patients have had their lives radically transformed because of the lamon family program. In 2020 and 2021, travel was restricted due to the covid19 pandemic, so new patients were not able to travel to the united states for care. However, in 2021, Leap worked closely with a hospital in belize to support a patient with lifechanging care. In 2019 and 2018, Leap served a total of six patients through this program by performing lifesaving surgeries valued at approximately $425,000. Approximately 86% of these services were performed free of charge by physicians and hospitals dedicated to these unique Leap patients.