The Face, Heart and Mind Foundation

Helping Children to Become Whole

In the United States a case of child abuse is reported every 10 seconds [1]. Each day more than four children die from child abuse. Seventy-nine percent of these children are under the age of four. Forty-four percent of these children are under the age of one [2]. Child abuse and neglect is the highest single cause of death of children under the age of four [3].

What happens to the survivors?

When a child has been neglected or injured due to child abuse, there are many scars. Some are seen. Other scars are hidden and are only felt in the heart.

The Face, Heart and Mind Foundation is dedicated to the compassionate care of the victims of child abuse. The Foundation provides resources to help heal the hidden wounds and to erase the visible signs of child abuse-scarring, disfigurement, facial oddities, and malformation due to neglect.

Background:
The Face, Heart and Mind Foundation is the only program of its kind in the nation. The Face, Heart and Mind Foundation was founded in 2001 by Henri P. Gaboriau, MD, and Jim Silsby, Director of Development for Boys and Girls Town of Missouri. The Foundation provides reconstructive plastic surgery and mental health counseling to children without access to the resources necessary for physical and psychological recovery. Formerly known as Heart 2 Heart, the Foundation is a holistic recovery program created to supply much needed support to children who suffer from physical and emotional scarring as a result of abuse. The Foundation provides the comprehensive resources and a positive healing experience so these children and young adults have the potential to live a full, happy and productive life. The Foundation believes that internal healing is as important as physical recovery. Services emphasize the importance of rebuilding a victim's self-esteem as much as repairing his or her physical appearance.

The Face, Heart and Mind Foundation
816 F Street SE, Auburn, WA, 98002. For more information, please call (253) 394-5005, or visit us on the web: www.faceheartmind.org
The Face, Heart and Mind Foundation is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization.

Two Steps to Recovery:
The Face, Heart and Mind Foundation consists of two primary healing components: Reconstructive plastic surgery and mental health counseling. Each component relies upon the other to fully restore a child's image.

Who is Eligible?
To be eligible for treatment, children must be under the age of 19 and have undergone a psychological assessment. Candidates must be psychologically stable; assessments are conducted by either the referring agency, or an agency referred by the Foundation. After the initial assessment, children meet with a physician and a treatment plan is formed. Additional criteria for eligibility to participate in the Face, Heart and Mind Foundation include:

• Facial disfigurement due to proven abuse or neglect. Proof may be documentation provided by hospitals, doctors, notes, and police and/or court reports.
• Candidates must be willing to undergo surgery and counseling, and remain in counseling throughout the medical procedures and post-surgical period.
• The foundation's resources are only available to individuals with no other financial means for receiving services, such as personal income or medical insurance.
• Candidates must not use drugs or alcohol and must submit to testing.
• Candidates must live in a safe environment. If the child is still living with the perpetrator of the abuse, the foundation will not accept the child into the program.

The referral source is required to screen the applicant based on the above criteria before making referrals to the foundation.

Collaboration:
The mission of the Face, Heart and Mind Foundation is rooted in compassion and caring. The Foundation is also about working together in a collaborative team effort. Doctors, nurses, counselors, social workers, hospitals, and private donors come together to secure the medical and surgical supplies needed for treatment. All aspects of surgery and post-surgical procedures are donated to the foundation by the surgeon, his surgical staff and associate physicians. Without this generous assistance, the medical costs of surgery would reach astronomical amounts.

There is no other program where children can get this kind of help. Due to the skyrocketing cost of medical health, your help is both needed and sincerely appreciated. Your contribution can make a difference. Help rebuild a child's life. Help to make a child whole.

Anyone interested in supporting the Face, Heart and Mind Foundation can send donations to:

Face, Heart and Mind Foundation
816 F Street SE
Auburn, WA 98002
(253) 394-5005

The Face, Heart and Mind Foundation is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization. Your contribution is tax-deductible.

"Whenever someone would ask me how I got the scar, I was ashamed and very emotional. I became very shy. I felt like a brand new person after the surgery was complete."
-Wilhelmina Stewart, Auburn, WA

"...Her beautiful smile just got bigger and bigger. She held her head higher and combed her hair back...The foundation may not have saved the world but it saved our daughter, and she is the world to us."
-Tony and Barbara Lewis, Wilhelmina's foster-parents, Auburn, WA

Notes:
www.childhelp.org
www.childabuse.com