A Rotary Project of District 6960 THE GIFT OF LIFE PROGRAM, which began in 1975, is today a worldwide Rotary International Service Program. Its primary purpose is to help those needy children who require
corrective heart surgery secure another lease on life through the miracle of open-heart surgery in a Gift of Life Participating Hospital in the U.S.A. The Program reaches children throughout the world,
including the United States. It is essentially a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation whose Board of Directors and members are Rotarians. The concept of the Program began in 1974 when the Manhasset, NY Rotary
Club responded to a request for help from the Kampala Rotary Club in Uganda. The response brought five-year old Grace Agwaru on a 5,000 mile journey from Uganda to Roslyn, NY. On November 15, 1974 she underwent a very
successful four hour open-heart surgical procedure to close a small hole between the two lower chambers of her heart. ROTARY GIFT OF LIFE WAS BORN
And, strange as it may seem, what began as a simple
response to help one small girl from a far away country has today developed into a very dynamic worldwide movement involving not only thousands of Rotarians and their families, but also countless people from other
community-based service and fraternal organizations, including numerous American ethnic community groups: All united with the primary objective of providing the "Gift of Life" to more than 1,000 children from over 30
countries who have followed Grace Agwaru since 1974. CHILDREN FROM THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
Children with life-threatening cardiac disorders, ranging in age from infants to eighteen years, have been
sponsored by Clubs and Districts from throughout the Rotary World. They have come from such countries as Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, South Africa, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Ireland, Poland, Mexico, Panama, Guyana,
Columbia, Equador, Peru, Trinindad, St. Kitts, Belize, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, South Korea, Philippines, Jamaica, West Indies, India, Sri Lanka, Romania, El Salvador, and the Soviet Union.
JOINT-VENTURE SUCCESS!
The success the Program enjoys today is not only due to its great international humanitarian appeal but also because it functions at the "grassroots" level with direct people-to-people contact.
The joint-venture between Rotarians in District 7250 and the Rotarians in Districts 3650 (Seoul, Korea); 3660 (Busan, Korea) and 3700 (Daegu, Korea) is typical of how the Gift of Life Program has established a bridge of
friendship between not only the Rotarians in both countries but also between Rotarians and Koreans in America and Koreans and Americans in Korea! In addition to the Rotarians in Korea, the Program has received the
support of a Korean foundation which is directed by the First Lady of Korea, SoonJa Lee. The Foundation - The Society for Fostering the New Generation and Rotary Clubs in the United States have joined forces enabling
children to receive open-heart surgery. COMMUNITY BRIDGES OF FRIENDSHIP
With its great international humanitarian appeal, the Gift of Life Program has received wide attention in the media. As a result, a
number of American ethnic community groups have come forward to work with the various Rotary organizations involved in their areas to raise funds and become involved with the hospitality chores. Due to their love and
dedication to the Program, they have made the childs and its parents and/or guardians stay in America a truly pleasant and memorable occasion. |
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