By Cameryn Oakes
Gift of Life, a Manhasset-based organization providing life-saving surgeries to children across globe, cut the ribbon Sunday for its new campaign headquarters on Plandome Road to raise money and welcome their 50,000th child to be treated.
Gift of Life was established in 1975 when the Manhasset Rotary brought 5-year-old Grace Agwaru from Uganda to Roslyn’s St. Francis Hospital for life-saving heart surgery. Since then Gift of Life has saved the lives of thousands of children from more than 80 countries.
Gift of Life co-founder Robert Donno said Gift of Life provides help to families who have no other means to provide life-saving measures for their child, oftentimes with the threat of death looming over them. He called Gift of Life a “miracle” to these families who face no other options.
Multiple local elected officials attended the ribbon-cutting and presented citations of honor to the organization. Donno expressed appreciation for the elected officials’ involvement Sunday. He said it not only felt good to have them supporting the cause but that they also help to publicize Gift of Life’s good doings so that more people can become engaged.
