Bring Congenital Heart Disease affecting children in Venezuela out of the darkness by connecting services and resources for medical treatment and heart healthy care.
OUR VALUES
Hope - lead by example to show how life can and will get better.
Charity - create experiences for our donors that energize their charitable giving.
Compassion - provide encouragement in every encounter and understanding in every setback.
Commitment - make a positive impact every day to our patients and their caregivers.
Who we are
Founded in 2020, our foundation recognized the crisis situation existing in Venezuela. More than 6000 children are born every year in Venezuela with CHD and more than 80% of those require surgery in the first year of life. 2000 children are on a waiting list at any given time and many die while waiting. Due to a national health system in crisis, most of these children do not ever receive proper care.
Estrellita de Belen Foundation was established to provide help to these underprivileged children. Our foundation provides aid to these children and caregivers through funding for basic care and treatment, medical supplies, and nutritional supplements not subsidized by the government of Venezuela.
We work with parents, caregivers and local volunteers to meet the immediate needs of our little heart warriors. We are committed to the best possible care by identifying the most competent local medical professionals in the region. We are continually growing our support network to reach all areas of Venezuela.
What we do
Our main purpose is to support congenital heart diseased children in Venezuela through collaborative care. We have an established network of medical professionals, parents, caregivers, and volunteers that work together to get our kids the treatment they require.
Along with these individuals, we established a partnership with a leading private local clinic to provide low budget procedures and consultations to our heart warriors.
In order to meet our financial requirements, we conduct extensive fundraising in our local area as well as charity drives conducted via social media and other online events. The money we raise goes directly to pay for medical treatment, medications, nutrition and supplies necessary for our little warriors.
An inspirational note from our Founder
I am Belen Blanton, President of Estrellita de Belen Foundation. I was born with a congenital heart defect called tricuspid atresia. I have only had one surgery to correct my defect, which by today's standards, would have seen 3 or more follow-on procedures.
After moving to the United States over 30 years ago, I have face numerous personal struggles with my health, but as I have had excellent care, I am still alive today. I now dedicate my life to fight for children with congenital disease of heart in my country of Venezuela.
Our foundation provides the resources to aid the families through appointment scheduling, medical supplies, and nutritional supplements and even necessary procedures to repair their little hearts. I have been fortunate to provide for my own care over the years, so felt the need to give back.
Our vision is to live in a world where every child has a mighty heart.
Belen Blanton-Altuve
Early in 2021, Estrellita de Belén Foundation developed a project in partnership with Ascardio, a cardiovascular clinic. This clinic is located in Barquisimeto, Venezuela’s third largest and one of its oldest cities. This clinic boasts uninterrupted care for over 43 years treating more than 100,000 patients a year, while providing academic and social work in the region.
Our resident partner is Dr. Bartolome Finizola M.D, who received his medical degree in Cardiology from Universidad Centro-Occidental Lisandro Alvarado located in Barquisimeto. Dr. Finizola specializes in Interventional Cardiology at Ascardio. He is a member of the Venezuelan cardiology society, a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, and is the President elect of the Venezuela Heart Foundation.
Through this partnership, Ascardio provides low budget procedures for the children assisted by our Foundation. The Doctor and staff provide the lifesaving procedures for our children which would otherwise be impossible. This team are all true angels!
BelenBlanton
PRESIDENT
John Blanton
VICE PRESIDENT
Andre Gruber
DIRECTOR
Nestor Altuve
FINANCIAL ADVISOR
Efmerip Barreto
GENERAL DIRECTOR IN VENEZUELA
Genesis Betancourt
VOLUNTEER DIRECTOR
Martin Altuve
Digital Marketing assistant
Dr. BartolomeFinizola
MEDICAL ADVISOR
Our volunteers
Lara
Deisy
Táchira
Reynamar
Zulia
Heydi Quintero
Merida
Claudia
Fundacion Estrellita de Belen Jacksonville, FL, USA
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