Humility
Crescendo Missions serves from a posture of humility, seeking to honor Christ through practical love, quiet service, and respect for the communities we serve.
About Crescendo Missions
Our story began with worship and continues through surgical mission.
Crescendo Missions is a Christian nonprofit organization that brings skilled surgical teams, training, and resources to underserved international communities where surgical care is limited.
Our Story
Crescendo was co-founded by Charles Cheng, MD, and Karen Cheng, DMin. It began as Crescendo Music, a ministry that created original Chinese worship music with a heart for worship, generosity, and practical service.
Through two original worship albums, Dawn to Dusk and Before Your Throne, Crescendo Music gave proceeds to causes serving the poor, especially women and children in developing countries.
Over time, the form of the work changed, but the heart of the mission remained the same.
From Crescendo Music to Crescendo Missions
Nearly twenty years after Crescendo first began, Charles started leading surgical mission trips to Guatemala and Africa. These trips brought together skilled surgical teams to provide care, teach practical surgical skills, and serve communities where surgical care and surgical training are needed.
In 2026, Crescendo Music officially became Crescendo Missions to better reflect the work it had grown into: surgical care, surgical training, and mission-centered service.
The name Crescendo continues to carry its original meaning — a posture of humility and service, rooted in the desire that the awareness of the love of Christ would increase.
Our Mission
Skilled care, practical training, lasting service.
Crescendo Missions brings skilled surgical teams, training, and resources to underserved international communities where surgical care is limited.
Our Values
How we serve.
Skillful Service
We believe surgical care and surgical training should be offered with excellence, compassion, and responsibility.
Long-Term Impact
Our work is not only about one trip or one procedure. We seek to strengthen local surgical care and support sustainable programs over time.
Leadership
Board of Directors
Crescendo Missions is guided by a board of directors who provide leadership, oversight, and support for the organization’s mission.
Charles Cheng, MD
President of the Board
Dr. Charles Cheng is a surgical oncologist with Fox Valley Surgical Specialists in Appleton, Wisconsin. He believes surgical skill can be a meaningful gift to those in need and that those same skills can be taught and multiplied through intentional training. Through Crescendo Missions, Dr. Cheng seeks to serve patients with compassion and support surgeons who are called to care for their own communities.
Geoffrey Cheng
Board Member
Geoffrey Cheng has experience helping nonprofit organizations start, reorganize, and strengthen their ability to serve their communities. Professionally, he works in the investment industry, where he brings a strategic mindset and a gift for connecting people around shared purpose. Through his service with Crescendo Missions, Geoffrey helps support the organization’s growth, sustainability, and mission to serve communities through humanitarian surgical care and training.
Robert Ballard, MD
Board Member
Dr. Bob Ballard is a practicing surgeon with a focus on vascular surgery and a senior partner at Fox Valley Surgical Specialists. He brings a strong interest in medical economics, surgical excellence, and the use of medical skill for compassionate humanitarian work. Through his service on the board, Dr. Ballard helps support Crescendo Missions’ commitment to practical, skillful care for communities with limited access to surgery.
Elizabeth Ballard, MD
Board Member
Dr. Elizabeth Ballard is a neuroradiologist with a lifelong appreciation for medical mission work, shaped in part by watching her father serve through medicine. As both a physician and a person of faith, she brings a thoughtful perspective on humanitarian service, medical care, and the dignity of patients. Her board service helps support Crescendo Missions’ vision for compassionate, faith-rooted surgical care and training.