One child.
One surgery.
One life changed forever.
Every year, our volunteer surgeons, physicians, dentists and integrative-medicine specialists travel to the Philippines and give their hands, their hearts and their skill - free of charge - to families who could never afford care, and to special-needs children the world too often overlooks.
It began with a grandmother
who never turned anyone away.
In Baguio City, Philippines, Genoveva Castro Rivera fed the hungry, taught the poor and sheltered the homeless - quietly, faithfully, for a lifetime. She never called it philanthropy. She called it what it was: selfless service. A century later, her daughter and grandson carry her name across oceans to operating rooms and clinics full of children who need exactly that kind of love.
Genoveva Castro Rivera
She fed the hungry, educated the poor and opened her door to the homeless. The foundation bears her initials - and measures every mission against her example.
Dr. Rebecca C. Rivera, M.D.
Nearly half a century after her mother's passing, she turned a family value into an institution - founding the GC Rivera Foundation and leading its annual medical missions home to the Philippines.
Dr. Jere Rivera-Dugenio, Ph.D.
Today her grandson leads the missions - pairing volunteer surgeons and dentists with advanced integrative medicine, with devoted focus on children with autism and special needs.
Actions speak louder than words.The GC Rivera Foundation credo - lived on every mission since 2016
Surgery. Medicine. Dentistry.
And care most missions can't offer.
We are among the very few missions that pair western surgical and medical care with advanced integrative and nutritional medicine - built around children with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and hearing loss.
Surgical & Medical Care
Volunteer surgeons and physicians perform operations and treat patients who would otherwise go without - surgical supplies, anesthesia and post-operative care funded entirely by donors.
Special-Needs Children First
Integrative, nutritional, dental and supportive therapies for children with autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and deafness - 450+ children in 2026 alone.
Research That Outlives the Week
Every mission is documented - outcomes recorded, local physicians trained, findings prepared for peer review. The 2026 mission research paper is in preparation now.
Be the reason the 2027 mission happens.
Five days. One volunteer medical corps. Hundreds of patients who cannot afford care. Our doctors give their time and travel - sponsors fund what only funding can: the surgeries, the clinics, the therapies, the medicine.
Principal partners are recognized across the mission and in the published impact report. For a confidential conversation about underwriting, speak directly with our president, Dr. Jere Rivera-Dugenio, Ph.D.
Give the way that fits your legacy.
The GC Rivera Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity - EIN 46-4145731. Every gift is tax-deductible, and every dollar funds direct patient care on mission.
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Legal name: The GC Rivera Foundation · EIN 46-4145731
The Genoveva Legacy Circle
Include the foundation in your will or trust and join the circle named for our matriarch - so the missions continue for generations.
Bequest language available on request
Somewhere in Laoag, a child is waiting
for a surgery her family cannot afford.
In February 2027, our volunteers will be there. Whether she is treated - that part is up to all of us.