1. Bob Glindemann, DIK, sold Ruth a Raffle ticket when Ruth was volunteering at DIK.
2. Chris Wang, the driving force of the “Give Every Child a Future” project, immunising 100,000 children and girls in 9 Pacific Island countries (including Kiribati), is working with Ruth.
3. Ruth is presently re-establishing a Rotary Club on Kiribati.
4. Ruth Cross won the First Prize in Rotary Melbourne’s “Give Every Child a Future” Raffle valued up to $20,000.
5. Raffle raised $20,000 for the “Give Every Child a Future” project vaccinating youngsters on the island Kiribati!
Ruth’s email response to President Robert and Reg Smith included:
"Mauri Robert,
I am bombarding you all with my excited responses this morning! The fundraising result is absolutely amazing and a testament to the passion and determination of all those involved.
Bob kept a few books in the kitchen at DiK in the kitchen and I’m pretty sure I was the first one to snap some raffle tickets up hoping it would put him in a good mood so that he might not yell at us so much that day
😉Of course you may share as much as you’d like to, including any information from the emotional essay I sent to Bob and Laurie earlier this morning.
Thank you so much for your encouragement and support. I am really glad the information about setting up a club on the website is very comprehensive as I am at sea with it (literally in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!) but what we lack in experience we are making up for with enthusiasm.
However, one of the last orders I got from Bob (very bossy) was that I had to set up this club so here we are.
I have to keep thanking Chris (Wang) for his inspired efforts to connect people, each link in the chain he has joined me to has created meaningful opportunities. I am so pleased you felt the sincerity of our gratitude, now I’m tearing up too!
I am also reminded of Olga Hilton’s raffle of Vance’s tie and how perfectly satisfied she was with the winning recipient.
There really seems to be a powerful magic within Rotary that rewards us with poetic joys reminding us that nothing is coincidental and there are strong forces that support us.
Thank you once again. I cannot wait to support the efforts of RGECAF in Kiribati and my only wish is that members of the Rotary Club of Melbourne would come visit us in Kiribati to enjoy the hospitality and gratitude of our people.
Your considerable efforts to help these wonderful people is inspiring and noble, but if only they could meet you all and thank you themselves.
Best wishes, Ruth"
