In 2002, the Foundation for the Children of the Californias and Fundación para Los Niños de las Californias each committed to raise $10 million to expand, support, and endow Hospital Infantil de las Californias and its educational programs in Tijuana. This pediatric hospital has provided 100,000 consultancies, over 1,800 surgeries, and thousands of hours of education programs for medical students, parents, and community residents. Hospital Infantil serves children from both sides of the border. Beyond the families that it serves in Baja California, the Hospital Infantil has become an invaluable resource for Spanish-speaking families in San Diego County unable to obtain culturally competent and affordable care.

This year, Hospital Infantil finalized its expansion plans for CURARTE ("to cure you"), which will house its special care and urgent care units, three surgical suites, 35 short-stay hospital beds, a cafeteria and chapel, as well as support services. A physical therapist from USC, Elizabeth Mellor, quickly responded with a $220,000 grant for the expansion. Bolstered by this leadership gift, Hospital Infantil staff, board members, and volunteers surged ahead to seek matching funding.

ICF donors learned of the Hospital’s fundraising needs and organized a donor collaborative on behalf of this worthwhile project. In a few short weeks, ICF donors, including Leon and Randie Reinhart, Lucy Killea, Augie Gallego, Irma Gigli, M.D., and Héctor Pérez and Alison Neeley collectively donated $58,000 to CURARTE. Since ICF's grant, Hospital Infantil was awarded a $1 million challenge grant from the Colonel Harland Sanders Foundation for the construction of CURARTE and the hospital is now working to raise the funds required to complete this project.

Recognizing that much work remains to be done in support of Baja California’s only pediatric hospital, ICF remains committed to expanding the level of charitable giving to the Hospital Infantil and welcomes other donors to support this worthy institution of binational importance.