Ridgefield Rotarians Rainer Gonet, center, and Kathy Graham, first from right, receive plaque from Gift of Life team Pat Caruso, Abe Gordon and Rob Raylman.
A plaque showing photos of children whose lives were changed and saved by cardiac surgery through the Gift of Life program was presented to the Rotary Club of Ridgefield at its regular Wednesday dinner meeting on May 9.
The plaque was presented by the Connecticut Gift of Life program team. The plaque was in recognition of the club’s efforts last fall when donations from Fairfield County Bank, its employees and its customers raised $12,000 for Gift of Life. Club member and Fairfield County Bank manager Kathy Graham was honored for her leadership in that effort.
The Gift of Life program is a global network whose purpose is to help children in need of heart surgery. Initially, the program’s focus was on identifying one child at a time and bringing the child to the United States for heart surgery. The program has evolved, coordinated by Gift of Life International, and the focus is now on strategically locating “centers of excellence,” local facilities for cardiac surgery, to treat children in their country or region of birth.
There are more than 70 Gift of Life organizations around the world, most based in or affiliated with Rotary Clubs or districts. According to the Gift of Life International website, through development of sustainable pediatric cardiac surgery and aftercare programs, Gift of Life is helping 1,000 children receive treatment every year.
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