International Kids Fund (IKF)
In 2002, Rolando Rodriguez founded the International Kids Fund (IKF), dedicated to providing care to children from all over the world who needed live-saving care. The program developed when families arrived at Jackson Memorial Hospital pleading for help to save their child’s life. Rolando responded by recruiting a caring board of leaders and key sponsors such as Fedex International.
With their help he created sophisticated systems to care for these seriously ill children.
As the need grew, the IKF added more and more pediatric specialists from the famed University of Miami Miller School of Medicine to provide life-saving care, and developed sophisticated systems for processing medical diagnosis management, medical billing, family lodging, food, immigration and visa processing, and much more.
The IKF rapidly grew into an internationally recognized program responsible for the oversight, management and fundraising for children in need of life-saving or life-changing medical care from all over the world. The program has been featured on television by CNN, the Discovery Channel and too many Spanish-language television programs to count. Donations to the program have come in from all over the world, and celebrities of every stripe have joined in IKF's life-saving work. IKF has raised millions of dollars and most importantly, has saved hundreds of children’s lives.
From need came innovation, and from concern, came solutions - and most importantly, new hope for children in dire need.