The organization is unique in that it provides life-changing medical opportunities for children in need, all over the world.

When we interviewed Dorothy, she had already travelled on six medical missions with Mending Kids – joining the charity’s team of surgeons and fellow volunteers that set their sights on underserved parts of the world to help children in need.

Since our chat, Dorothy’s stayed involved with the organization by raising awareness through her social channels and taking part in beneficial fundraisers.

Mending Kids International Helps Hundreds of Kids in 2016

Most recently, Dorothy teamed up with fellow good celebrities for a fun-filled fundraiser hosted by the World Poker Tour. The event drawed some big names who constantly circulate the breaking celebrity news headlines including Mel Gibson, Vince Vaughn, Andrew Garfield and Gene Simmons.

During the event, Lucey made sure to snap a selfie with the KISS frontman while also giving him a shout out for his donation to Mending Kids.

@genesimmons made a donation to @mendingkids & made fun of my duck face fail. #iammendingkids #wptmendingkids

A photo posted by Dorothy Lucey (@dorothy_lucey) on Oct 21, 2016 at 9:20pm PDT

The poker tournament, which took place in Beverly Hills, raised enough money to help more than 100 children.

“Once again, poker brought together celebrities, dignitaries and influencers for a great cause as it continues to be one of the most fun and effective ways to raise money for critical issues worldwide,” said WPT CEO Adam Pliska. “WPT Foundation is honored to have partnered with Mending Kids for this special night and to celebrate the remarkable miracles they are performing for children around the world.”

Dorothy was also actively involved with the organization throughout the year. She even went to Disneyland with a pair of kids who benefitted from the organization.

Buzzed at #happiestplaceonearth.

A photo posted by Dorothy Lucey (@dorothy_lucey) on Mar 11, 2016 at 8:40am PST

In addition, Dorothy shared an experience about seeing two former Mending Kids’ patients while on a trip to Cabo.

She wrote on her blog, “They first came here two years ago. Twins. With different faces. But similar hands. Their hands did not look like hands. So misshapen. One of them had two thumbs. They were shining shoes on streets of Ethiopia. One step above begging. They were outside the Mother Teresa Home for the Destitute and Dying. I’ve been there. It’s not an easy place to describe. An American doctor saw them. Dr Rick Hodes hoped Mending Kids could help. We did.”

Miss the #ethiopian entourage. #blog dorothylucey.com. When in #Cabo. Link in bio.

A photo posted by Dorothy Lucey (@dorothy_lucey) on Apr 5, 2016 at 10:52am PDT

Through the combination of fundraisers and volunteer events during the year, Mending Kids earned enough support to help hundreds of kids in 2016.

When did the @MendingKids get taller than me? Thanks to all helping @werkneh_gold #gofundme

A photo posted by Dorothy Lucey (@dorothy_lucey) on Oct 27, 2016 at 7:33pm PDT

On the organization’s Facebook page, they shared their success from the year posting, “The numbers are in and we are thrilled to share that in 2016 we mended a total of 549 kids! Hundreds of families and their children’s lives are changed forever.”

What’s to Come for Mending Kids in 2017

As we previously reported, Mending Kids’ outreach consists of four core programs:

• International surgeries: where children with complex cases are transported to partner hospitals in Canada and Israel.
• Missions abroad: where surgical teams and volunteers travel to developing countries to perform surgeries and develop sustainable medical programs.
• Hometown missions: where volunteer physicians perform up to 20 free surgeries in one day for children in the U.S.
• Domestic surgeries: where children abroad are flown into the U.S. for complex surgeries and stay with volunteer host families.

When we chatted with Dorothy, she was awesome to work with. She even connected us directly with the organization to feature special footage for our piece.

The doctors called her Dora. She was 5 & had 5 things wrong with her heart. 3 years ago today she had surgery on our #cambodia mission. I was honored to hold her hand before & after. @mendingkids #iammendingkids #internationalvolunteersday Photo by @ijuander

A photo posted by Dorothy Lucey (@dorothy_lucey) on Dec 6, 2016 at 3:18pm PST

We’re so happy that Dorothy opened our eyes to this organization and we’re thrilled that it continues to thrive.

Coming up this year, Mending Kids is taking part in the Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon and Big 5K for its second consecutive year.

Per the organization’s website, the event “runs from the ‘stadium to the sea’ passing every major landmark in L.A. including Disney Hall, TCL Chinese Theatre, the Sunset Strip, Rodeo Drive and finishes near the Santa Monica Pier.”

The organization’s goal is to reach its $40,000 goal, which goes directly to saving children’s lives around the world and in the domestic U.S.

Got gas? #roadtrip @werkneh_gold @mendingkids #iammendingkids

A photo posted by Dorothy Lucey (@dorothy_lucey) on Sep 20, 2016 at 3:26pm PDT

In addition to fundraisers, there are sure to be plenty of mission trips (they went on nine last year) so we’ll stay tuned when they announce the locations for 2017!

Mending puppies in Panama. Two years ago today. @mendingkids @floatingdoctors

A photo posted by Dorothy Lucey (@dorothy_lucey) on Mar 2, 2016 at 10:13am PST

As for Dorothy, she continues to stay actively involved with Mending Kids and its kids. She consistently posts photos of her with the children that benefit from the amazing organization on her Instagram page and we can’t wait to see where she travels this year!

To learn more about Mending Kids International, please visit http://www.mendingkids.org and make sure to stay linked to Good Celebrity for the latest celebrity news headlines.

The post Dorothy Lucey & Mending Kids International: Where Are They Now? appeared first on Positive Celebrity News, Good Celebrity Gossip, Positive Entertainment News | Good Celebrity.