Gift of Life Northeast Ohio

Saving Children’s Lives One Heart at a Time

Our long-term goal is to help create children’s heart centers in the developing world. This model allows for not only training of local surgeons and staff, but helps provide surgical services to more children.

Since 2003, GoL NEO has hosted over 100 children from the developing world who had come to Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital originally and now to Akron Children’s Hospital for repair of their defective hearts. Recently, GoL NEO has also partnered with Akron Children’s Hospital to bring children from Haiti for heart surgery.

Since 2010 our focus has changed from bringing in one child at a time to sending outbound surgical teams that can serve 12 to 20 or more children with each visit. Each mission involves partnerships with other Gift of Life chapters, numerous Rotary Clubs including local clubs in the developing world and grants created under the umbrella of The Rotary International Foundation.