Okay, people of Maplewood, how can you resist celebrating two fantastic phenomena in one event?

First, the Maplewood Rotary Club’s 15th Annual Affair of the Heart Gala benefiting the Gift of Life NJ on Friday, April 27, 2012 at the Maplewood Country Club will honor Citizen of the Year, Maplewood Fire Captain Joe Callaghan for embodying the Rotary motto of "Service Above Self."

Callaghan, a 20-year veteran of the force, donated one of his kidneys in 2011 to fellow firefighter Greg Snell who had been forced to retire from the force after suffering double kidney failure after 18 years the job.

Second, this is the Rotary's biggest annual fundraiser. This year, proceeds will be sending a medical team of heart surgeons to Siberia through an organization called Gift of Life NJ to operate on 25 kids with life-threatening heart conditions (past missions are illustrated in the photos here).

At the event, the Rotary will be providing a cocktail hour, live and silent auctions, food, and live entertainment.

Operating under the motto, Service above Self, Rotary members spend hours working towards improving the lives of the less fortunate, combating issues such as world hunger, poverty, illnesses, and education, to name a few.

Over the past 22 years of the Maplewood Rotary Club's involvement with Gift of Life, the club has saved the lives of nearly 100 children through surgeries in the U.S. and medical missions abroad. In the past three years alone, through the generous support of those that have attended the Affair of the Heart, our club has committed over $70,000 to helping these children.

The Maplewood Rotary has sponsored missions to the Dominican Republic in 2009 and 2010 which successfully operated on over 40 children. The 2009 mission was headed-up by Dr. Joanne Starr, a remarkable surgeon dedicated to the cause, and a former Maplewoodian.

Tickets to this event are limited. For more information, contact Rick Porter, Co-Chairperson, Gift of Life at rickporter10@gmail.com, Steve Gussen at sjgussen@gmail.com, or Caroline Gosselin at caroline_gosselin@hotmail.com.

Please "Like" the Rotary Club of Maplewood's Facebook page, and check out the event section to see who else is attending!