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Gift of Life: Rotary to save children by free heart surgeries

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By editor

The gift of life is a platform that affords humanitarian values with the sole purpose of saving the children around the world by providing them life support through heart surgeries. This happens regardless of race, religion and country. Rotary International is a worldwide service organization that works towards creating world understanding through peace and service.

The Rotary Foundation:

The Rotary Foundation is the trust of Rotary International which has led the GLOBAL POLIO ERADICATION initiative with the help of WHO, UNICEF, UNISCO, BILL AND MILINDA GATES FOUNDATION and many others.

Global Grant – GG 1871678:

Rotary International Dist. 3170 India (Host District) and Rotary International Dist. 7255 USA with the help of the host club Rotary Club of Belgaum South and International Partner club Rotary Club of Gold coast Lake Success USA with the help of the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is conducting this grant. PDG Rtn. Ravi Bhoplapur is the primary contact for the International partner and Rtn. Chaitanya Kulkarni is the host partner on behalf of the Dist. RID 3170. The project is to conduct 20 heart surgeries for children which is being launched today and these surgeries will be performed by co-operating organization KLE Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital.

Project Funding:

The club Rotary Club of Belgaum South of the host dist. RID 3170 has contributed US $ 10000 and International Partner club Rotary club of Gold coast Lake Success USA US $ 21000 and PDG Rtn Anand Kulkarni during his tenure as Dist Governor of RID 3170 has contributed US $ 5000. The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International has contributed US $ 20000 for this project. The total project cost is US $ 55000 (Project cost in INR is 37,39,992 with an exchange rate of Rs. 68 per dollar).

Spending plan:

The funds will be used to perform 16 open heart surgeries (low risk) costing 1,70,000/- each totaling to 27,20,000/-, 2 open heart surgeries (moderate risk) costing 2,25,000/- each totaling to 4,50,000/- and 2 open heart surgeries (high risk) costing 2,75,000/- each totaling to 5,50,000/- and with an awareness campaign expenses of 19,992/-.

rotaryCo-operating organization:

KLE Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital in association with host club Rotary club of Belgaum South and Dist. RID 3170 proposed to conduct 12 screening camps to identify the beneficiaries with the help of paediatric cardiologist and cardiothoracic surgeons and adult cardiologists in the areas of North Karnataka, South Maharashtra and Goa. This will be conducted by the CVTS Unit of KLE Hospital.

Purpose:

The beneficiaries are those who cannot get the Govt. support like BPL or any other Govt. Schemes and cannot afford the surgeries because of the economic status of the family are the major focus of this project.

Appeal:

We the members of Rotary Club of Belgaum South request various organisations, public at large through this media appeal to take the benefit of this humanitarian project of Rotary and Gift of Life and save children through free heart surgeries to needy and deserving thereby helping us to bring smile on the faces of the parents and children.

Contacts:

Rtn. Chaitanya Kulkarni – 9341101797

Rtn. Dr. Manoj Sutar – 9448634116

Rtn. Dr. Sujata Jali – 9845688999

Rtn. Jaysimha Belgal – 7353491776

Rtn. Anand Bhukebag – 9632631630

Rtn. Nilesh Patil – 9845744262

MORE ABOUT GIFT OF LIFE

A big idea was born in 1974 and every big idea has a small beginning. In 1974, Rotary District 7250 brought a 5-year old named Grace Agwaru on an intercontinental voyage from Uganda to New York. Grace suffered from a hole between the two lower chambers of her small but strong heart. On November 15, 1974 surgeons at Saint Francis Hospital in Roslyn, New York successfully operated on little Grace. That is how the Gift of Life was born and today it is a worldwide Rotary International Service Program responsible for approximately 30,000 heart surgeries for children over 40 countries. The Gift of Life includes Rotarians from all over the world, with independent chapters in countries as far away as Korea and India.

The sole purpose of the Gift of Life, India is to secure lifesaving heart surgery for children in desperate need regardless of race, religion, or country of origin. The Gift of Life, India is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt corporation with no administrative costs. All our team members work voluntarily; all the monies are generously donated by caring donors and through the numerous matching grants disbursed by the Rotary Foundation.

Like every good idea, it has grown exponentially. In 2001, Rotary Past District Governor of District 7250 Eileen Gentlecore had a simple conversation with a friend of hers and relayed the altruistic vision of Gift of Life. Her friend, Past District Governor Ravishankar Bhooplapur, with the assistance of Past RI Director/ Trustee Sushil Gupta – Trustee of Rotary Foundation, along with Dr. Rajan Deshpande and many other devoted Rotarians AC Peter, PDG Rajendra Rai, Rtn OP Khanna, DGE Kamlesh Raheja, PDG Sam Movva took up the challenge to provide invasive heart surgeries for the children of India.Dr.Rajan Deshpande & Mr Ashok Bolar took initial efforts in the region similarly Mr. Srinivasan, Mr. OP Khanna, PDG. Rai at Bangalore and Coimbatore. AC Peter and Trustee Sushil Gupta in Delhi made significant contributions. Today, PDG Ravishankar Bhooplapur still serves as an Honorary Chairman of Gift of Life, India. The power of a simple conversation has led to a great achievement.

In 2002, Ravishankar Bhooplapur expressed this idea to Dr. Prabhakar Kore and wished to conduct the heart surgeries in KLE Hospital, Belgaum.Since then KLE Hospital has completed over 600 surgeries funded by Gift of Life program. Mr. Bhooplapur also went on to Coimbatore, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, New Delhi and established this program. Children were broughtfrom Africa, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh & many other countries. Along with contributing his own generous funds he also manages to collect over $100,000 US dollars in donations ever year as well as matching grants from Rotary Foundation.

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