Our History

Our Origins on Long Island

1986: Gift of Life Long Island was established as the 2nd affiliate in the global network (originally chartered as Gift of Life 726, later evolving into Gift of Life 7255).
2008–Present: Driven by local supporters, board members, and Rotary partners, Gift of Life Long Island has contributed over $1,021,443 in cash and $220,675 in District Designated Funds (DDF) across 43 Rotary Grants.
Impact to Date: Our Long Island chapter has directly enabled lifesaving cardiac treatment for over 5,300 children across 19 countries, positioning us as one of the largest and most active affiliates among the 84 worldwide.

Through local fundraising and healthcare partnerships, Gift of Life Long Island funds critical care across three distinct tiers of global programs:

Legacy Programs (Uganda & El Salvador): Sustainable, fully autonomous pediatric cardiac programs supported by local government partnerships, dedicated ICU facilities, and trained local medical teams.
Core Programs (Jamaica, Bolivia, Jordan & Honduras): Developing programs receiving equipment, perfusionist training, and specialized clinical mentorship to reach self-sufficiency.
Countries of Focus (Dominican Republic, Egypt, Guyana, India, Lebanon, Philippines, Pakistan & Zimbabwe): Targeted emergency interventions and customized medical support tailored to regions with severe care deficits.

Our contributions have built lasting infrastructure and delivered urgent care where it is needed most:

Bolivia: Funded equipment and training to open the first-ever pediatric cardiac ICU in La Paz.
Jamaica: Supported comprehensive perfusionist training for local healthcare staff.
Ukraine & Uganda: Delivered essential surgical supplies to war-torn regions and provided treatment for children suffering from Rheumatic Heart Disease.

Gift of Life Long Island operates as a key pillar within the broader Gift of Life global family:

1975: The original Rotarian-based Gift of Life program began bringing children to the United States for heart surgery.
2003–2009: Gift of Life International was formed to build local capacity and partner with global NGOs to perform surgeries in children’s home countries.
2019–Present: The global network became the largest NGO providing pediatric cardiac care in emerging nations, reaching the 50,000-child milestone in 2024 and now healing a child every 85 minutes.