Before the procedure, a cleft lip can shape how the world sees a child—and how that child begins to see themselves. The gap in the lip may draw unwanted attention, invite questions, or even lead to unkind words from others. For parents, it can be a source of worry. For the child, it can quietly affect confidence long before they have the words to express it.
A repaired cleft lip can help a child feel more confident stepping into social spaces—schoolyards, classrooms, and community gatherings. It can reduce the stigma that too often surrounds visible differences. It can open doors to connection that might have once felt closed.
The heart of the Rotaplast mission beats strongest through its community volunteers particularly in Cebu, Philippines. The Rotary club of Cebu Port City is central to the expansive structure of volunteers. These local heroes are the welcoming hands and smiling faces that make every child feel safe and cared for. From guiding families through bustling hospitals to preparing meals, translating languages, or simply offering a comforting hug, they create a circle of support that surrounds every patient.
The Secretariat reaches out to each family with warmth and reassurance, turning uncertainty into trust with every smile and carefully organized detail. This amazing crew also works with a local organization “Abounding in Love” to arrange transportation, lodging and initial work ups. The food team nourishes not just bodies, but spirits—offering comfort in the form of warm meals during long, anxious days. At AHC Laboratory, skilled hands and focused minds ensure every child is ready and safe for surgery, their precision laying the groundwork for healing.
In the wards, nurses become guardians of both recovery and hope, watching closely through the night, soothing fears, and celebrating small victories. In the operating room, OR nurses move with calm expertise and quiet compassion, standing as steady partners in each transformation. Orderlies guide patients gently from one step to the next, their kindness easing each transition, while housekeeping staff create a space of dignity and cleanliness that makes healing possible.
Nursing students rallied to assist in any way needed and the Coast Guard provided cheerful security detail. 
Food: Provided endless supply of snacks and meals throughout the day for all of Staff and volunteers. This included regional cuisine with local ingredients, culinary traditions and distinct cultural practices distinct to Cebu and the Philippines including fresh fruit; plantain, star apple, mangosteen, mango, bananas. All From a local restaurant San Remigio Beach Club and paid for by the Rotary Club of Port City.
In Cebu, Abounding in Love quietly removes the barriers that stand between a child and a life-changing surgery. For many families, the journey to care is not just about distance—it’s about cost, logistics, and the overwhelming weight of uncertainty. Abounding in Love steps into that gap with compassion in action.
They provide safe, reliable transportation, ensuring that even those from the most remote communities can reach the hospital doors. They offer lodging—a place to rest, to gather strength, and to feel a sense of stability during an emotional time. And through essential medical workups, they help prepare each child for surgery, making certain that every step is taken with care and attention.
Arlen Jay Van OS is a serial entrepreneur from Michigan, where his family resides. During a business trip in 2012–2013, he traveled to the Philippines to install machinery for Timex. What began as a routine assignment would soon become a life-changing turning point.
While participating in a Christmas gift-giving outreach, Arlen was shown a photo of an infant in Bantayan with a cleft lip and palate—conditions that could be treated through free surgeries available in Cebu. However, like many families, the child’s parents could not afford the transportation and lodging required to access that care. Without hesitation, Arlen stepped in and covered those costs.
That child, “Sam,” would attempt five times to receive surgery before finally being healthy enough to undergo the procedure. His journey became the spark that ignited something much larger. Through word of mouth, referrals began pouring in—families from remote areas, each with a child in need, each facing the same barriers.
Moved by what he had seen, Arlen founded Abounding in Love, initially funding the mission through the profits of his businesses. Several years ago, he made the profound decision to close those businesses and now relies on the generosity of sponsors to continue the work.
Today, Arlen is also an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Cebu Port City. Reflecting on his journey, he shares that he has witnessed countless children from remote parts of the Philippines experience complete transformations through Rotaplast International surgeries—each one a powerful reminder of what compassion, persistence, and community can achieve.
Abounding in Love together with the local Rotary club established a relationship with Asilo De La Milagrosa Catholic Chuch in Cebu. For the first time this year, the church offers free lodging for Rotaplast patients post surgery who require longer term lodging. This allows families to return for the Post Clinic at the end of the week.
Rotary International distributes a beautiful hand made quilt for each patient which is loving wrapped around a child by OR nurse and keeps them warm during surgery.
In Cebu 2026, these volunteers remind us that healing is never just surgical—it is nurtured in every act of care, every shared smile, and every hand held tightly through a brave journey. Their presence transforms the mission from a medical event into a vibrant celebration of community, compassion, and connection.