Gift of Life Program
Rotary District 7230 Gift of Life, Inc.
In 1974 the Manhasset (Long Island, New York) Rotary Club brought Grace Agwaaru to the United States for successful surgery in response to a request from the Kampala (Uganda) Rotary club.
Since that date, over 1500 children from over thirty countries throughout the world, including the United States, have been given another lease on life through the miracle of open heart surgery by the generosity of members of Rotary International and thousands of volunteers, plus the doctors, nurses and staffs of participating hospitals.
In 1994, the Eastchester Rotary Club, spearheaded by member Dan Nalven, with the help of Dr. Michael Gewitz, chief of the Pediatrics at New York Medical College met with and convinced the officials of the Westchester County Medical Center to become a participating hospital.
Since then 20 children from Russia, El Salvador, Kenya, Belarus, Siberia, Ukraine, Dominican Republic, China and Colombia have benefited from surgery at the Medical Center and have returned to their homelands healthy, happy children with a lease on a new, long life.
GIFT OF LIFE is now a project of participating clubs of Rotary District 7230 and many have either donated funds, or more importantly, become sponsors for arriving children. Rye Rotary has hosted 3 children, Elmsford, Quad Village, Valhalla (at the same time) and Eastchester, 2; and Pelham, Yonkers, White Plains, Hawthorne, Bronxville, Hartsdale, Ossining, Larchmont, Chinatown one each, for the three week period they are on our shores.
Financial assistance has come from many of the Rotary Clubs, the RUSSIAN GIFT OF LIFE, and numerous other individuals and Corporations. Several have donated the entire necessary funds for one child ($5,000) and have earned the coveted SAVE A CHILD award. This includes, Rye and Elmsford twice each and Hamilton (Bermuda), Pelham and Chinatown. Plus, Rotary District 7190 GIFT OF LIFE (Albany, NY) and the RUSSIAN GIFT OF LIFE.
The success of the program is due to its humanitarian appeal, its person-to-person contact and the medical profession, host families and volunteers who have all generously given their time and services to provide these children, our future ambassadors of goodwill, with the gift of good health.
How to Contact Us:
Rotary District 7230 Gift of Life
P.O. Box 698
Tarrytown, NY 10591
(914) 631 7764