The Inverness Rotary Club is heading up a drive to support the critical care transport services of Children’s Hospital of Alabama.

The 55 central and northern Alabama clubs in District 6860, including the Inverness club, are coming together for the first time to support a single project.

In early May, District 6860’s governor, Mary Jean Sanspree, announced a $1 million gift to Children’s Hospital to support the critical care transport services.

“The efforts of the Rotary club of Inverness to address Rotary International’s 2009 theme, “Make Dreams Real,” for children and to address child mortality will affect many families in the local communities of Alabama,” Sanspree said.

Children’s Hospital critical care transport services made 1,004 transports in 2008, traveling more than 181,000 miles across Alabama and the southeastern United States.

Patients were transported in ambulances, helicopters and airplanes.

Children’s Health System CEO Mike Warren said the Rotary district’s gift would ensure more lives could be saved.

“The generosity of the members of Rotary District 6860 will go far in helping us provide care to the children of our state and beyond,” Warren said. “Last year, the Children’s Hospital critical care transport team safely transported more than 1,000 critically ill and severely injured children to Birmingham, where they could receive the finest care available. The Rotary gift will ensure that we can continue to provide this life-saving service to the patients and families who rely on us every day.”