Gift of Life District 7190 >> About Us
Mission Statement
Gift of Life is committed to providing hope to children from developing countries with heart disease, regardless of their gender, creed, or national origin, by supporting autonomous GOL programs in an effort to care for these children in need and to coordinate the development of sustainable pediatric cardiac surgery, catheterization and aftercare programs in select countries through the empowerment of local healthcare professionals.
What We Do
Surgeries in the NY area – We work with other Gift of Life programs on five continents in order to provide care to children. Children who come to New York for assistance are often recommended by participating programs or other medical teams who examine the children near where they live. Often parents themselves research the internet looking to help their children. The program in the home country helps to coordinate transportation to the US, obtain passports and visas and assure that the child and parent have round trip travel to New York. The Gift of Life program handles all activity from the time the family arrives in New York until they leave. Most families stay between 4 and 6 weeks, stay with a host family that volunteers to provide room, meals and a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. All travel to medical appointments, medication and incidental expenses are covered by the Gift of Life.
Mission Trips – Gift of Life also participates in medical training and screening missions to several countries. In effect, this brings the medical care to the child rather than bringing the child to the US. In a screening mission, a team of medical professionals including doctors, surgeons and nurses will visit the country for a week or more, evaluate a number of children and treat as many as possible either through non-interventional means or surgical procedures. Complex cases are referred to participating hospitals here in the US or other programs around the world. A training mission is similar except that in addition to the team treating the children, they also work with local medical professionals to train them in the latest procedures and practices.
Board of Directors
Tom Burdick
President, Rotary District 7190 Gift of Life
Tom Burdick earned a BA in Industrial and Labor Relations from Potsdam University. Tom is President of Empire Financial Advisors, Inc., a financial planning firm in Latham, NY. He has 30 years of financial planning experience.
Tom is a current member and past president of the Delmar Rotary, Tom is also a current board member of the Delmar Rotary Foundation. He serves as President of Rotary District 7190 Gift of Life.
Pat Herman
Graduate of SUNY Albany with a degree in psychology and combined studies. My pride and joy are my 3 sons and 5 grandchildren. My work in social services was most rewarding. I have been a member of the Schenectady Rotary Club for 30 years and a member of Gift of Life for many of those years. I serve as secretary on the Board of Directors. It is such a joy to be a part of something that promotes love and life around the world.
Robert Rosoff
Robert Rosoff joined the Gift of Life Board of Directors in 2017 and was appointed assistant treasurer eventually becoming treasurer.
Robert was elected as a board member in July 2018.
He retired as executive director of the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra in December 2011 and he is a member, and past president, of the Rotary Club of Glens Falls.
Elena Alvarez
Retired SUNY faculty member and currently working as an international consultant in Agricultural Development. Elena has done extensive consulting with the United Nations including the United Nations Development Programme, US AID and other United States agencies, and other foreign organizations.
Dr. Alvarez holds a Doctorate degree from the New School for Social Research, a Master’s degree from Pennsylvania State University, and a Licenciatura and Bachelor degrees from Catholic University of Peru. She is the mother of two adult children and resides with her husband in Schenectady, New York. She is active with the Rotary of Schenectady
Dr Alvarez is interested in the Gift of Life program because she has witnessed the needs of children in low-income families in the Third World who will benefit from this program.
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Dr. Melissa Ehlers
Dr. Ehlers has been a member of the GOL Board since 2005. She is director of pediatric anesthesia at Albany Medical Center and helps coordinate mission trips to other countries, as well as performing as a liaison when we bring a child here for an operation. She has personally gone on at least seven mission trips sponsored by Gift of Life to Honduras and to the Dominican Republic. She and her husband Patrick have two boys, Ronan and Jameson.
Milan Jackson
Past District Governor District 7190 (2015-16)
Member of Rotary Club of Cobleskill, NY.
Retired Military - joined Rotary in Philippines in 1984.
Founding member Gift of Life New England 2000.
Joined Gift of Life District 7190 in 2012.
My wife is a member of Rotary. I have three sons, my oldest son and his wife are also members of Rotary
As an avid supporter of Gift of Life, we save lives and build bridges - there is nothing better.
Mark A. Juda, Esq.
Mark Juda earned his BA from Canisius College in Political Science and his JD from Ohio Northern University. Mark is the founding partner of Juda Law Office, PLLC, a criminal and civil litigation firm in Schenectady, New York. He has over 25 years of litigation experience.
Mark is a current member and past president of the Schenectady Rotary Club. Mark is also a current board member of the Schenectady Rotary Foundation.
William (Bill) Nathan
Member, Albany Rotary. PDG 2011-12.
Owner, Nathan Office Interiors, an office furniture dealer, Slingerlands, NY. Board Member, LaSalle School for Boys. Board Member, Jewish Family Services. Supporter, Pine Hollow Arboretum. Alumnus, Brown University, 1964. Wife, Elizabeth (Betty).
Guillermo Trujillo
Guillermo is originally from Middletown, NY, but has lived throughout the Capital District for over 20 years. After graduating with his Masters in Secondary Education from the State University of New York at Albany he found work at a local private school and taught Social Studies for 9 years. He transitioned to his current career as a Financial Advisor in 2014. Currently, Guillermo resides in the town of Glenville, NY, where he has also built and established his Edward Jones office to help local families and individuals grow and protect their wealth.
Guillermo has been a proud and active member of the Glenville Rotary Club and the Board of the Directors for Rotary District 7190 Gift of Life since July 2015. He has found his work with both organizations very rewarding.
As a parent, Guillermo could not imagine having a child in need of life saving heart surgery and not have the access to. Through Gift of Life, he has witnessed many children getting a new lease on life. And, because of this, he believes that Gift of Life gives hope that someday children born in developing nations will not have to lose their lives to congenital heart conditions that can be treated by medical procedures that we take for granted here at home.
Gift of Life is on a mission to heal as many little hearts around the world as possible. Both, through surgeries here in the United States and abroad. Their vocation training missions aim to expand the network of medical professional capable of performing these important life saving surgeries. Each year more and more medical teams are trained and more and more children are saved.
Dawn Vavala
Charter member and past president of the Twin Bridges Rotary Club.
Assistant Governor in Rotary District 7190.
Dawn is a lifelong Capital District resident who grew up in Schenectady, NY. She graduated from Siena College in 1990 with a BS in Finance and is currently the owner of a customized clothing and promotional goods company named Nite Owl Marketing.
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Dawn got involved in the Gift of Life program after witnessing first hand, a child’s life saved, due to the efforts of the organization. Dawn believes there is nothing more important than saving the life of a child and helping them to live a long healthy life.