'Gift of Life’ is a non-profit that provides life-saving surgery for children with congenital heart disease
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Westhampton Rotary Club is hosting Robbie Donno as our meeting's speaker on Tuesday, January 14th.  
 
Guided by the strong sense of community instilled from his father, Robbie joined the Rotary Club and used it as a platform for change. In a pivotal moment he learned of efforts by the Ugandan Rotary to provide reconstructive plastic surgery for a child disfigured in a hyena attack. Although the surgery was funded before action could be taken, it ignited his passion for helping children. So, when the Ugandan Rotary reached out a second time for a child in critical need of heart surgery he jumped into action, using his Rotary Club connections to bring the girl and her father to St. Francis Hospital in New York where she underwent successful surgery. And thus 'Gift of Life,’ was born—a non-profit that provides life-saving surgery for children with congenital heart disease.
 
Robbie Donno was born in Manhasset, NY.  He is a graduate of La Salle Military Academy in Oakdale, Long Island and obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa.  He met his wife, Barbara, at Duquesne and they were married in 1969.  They have two children, Jacqueline and Matthew and two grandchildren, Emma and James.

Robbie was a principal of Donno Company, Inc, from 1970 to 1997.  He was Vice President of Eastern Waste of New York from 1997-1999 and is now a principal at Lemcor, Inc. of Newark, NJ.  He has been a leader in the solid waste industry for over 50 years.  He has received many awards for his leadership in the industry and for his philanthropic endeavors, which he now dedicates his time to.

Robbie is best known for his efforts providing heart surgery to children around the world. He joined Manhasset Rotary in 1971 and became its President in 1975.  That was the year Robbie and the Manhasset Rotarians started the Gift of Life Program by bringing 5-year-old Grace Agwaru from Uganda to St. Francis Hospital for life saving heart surgery. Gift of Life this year will provide surgery for over 5,000 and has saved the lives of over 55,000 children from 80 different countries since its inception.