Gifts with Love

News

To Russia With Love is thrilled to announce that founder & managing Director, Debbie Deegan, has won the 2009 Rehab International Person of the Year Award!

Debbie Deegan was honoured to receive the Rehab International Person of Year Award(sponsored by Quinn healthcare) at a ceremony in Dublin’s Citywest Hotel on Saturday 12th September.  Debbie won the award after being chosen from the public nominations by adjudicators comprising leading members of the media, business, public service and community sectors.

Recipients of the People of the Year Awards are chosen from people who have made a particular contribution to their local communities or to Irish society in general. The International Person of the Year is awarded to an Irish person who has made an outstanding contribution on an international level or to a person from outside Ireland who has made a positive impact to life on the island.  The list of winners since the awards began in 1975 reads like a who's who of Irish life over more than a quarter of a century. John Hume, Padraig Harrington, Mo Mowlam, Brian Keenan, Veronica Guerin, Sir Bob Geldof, Seamus Heaney and Maeve Binchy are just some of the previous award winners.

Since its inception in 1998 To Russia With Love has helped over 5,000 abandoned and orphaned Russian children in through education and development programs and providing necessities such as clothing, health and dental care to a number of orphanages across Russia.  Upon leaving orphanages in Russia, orphans are typically left to fend for themselves and are vulnerable to trafficking, prostitution, drugs and crime. In response, To Russia with Love has introduced a number of highly effective intervention programs supporting those children from entering orphanages right up and into third level education.

“Our development & educational programs go a long way towards ensuring a brighter future for these orphans; however such initiatives are very costly to run. We are still working with thousands of orphaned and abandoned children and need the help of Irish people to continue making a difference to their lives.  Times are tough for us all here and the recession has seen orphanage budgets cut way back so that these children are relying on us to provide clothing and heating oil for the harsh winters.  We are again calling upon the legendary generosity of Irish people to help us raise these vital funds and to continue to change these children’s lives for the better” says Debbie Deegan.

To Russia with Love is appealing to the generosity of Irish people to once again help them continue their invaluable & life changing work. “Things are tough for us here in Ireland but they’re even worse for these children who need us now more than ever”, says Debbie. 

To Russia With Love have a text donation service so and are asking people to donate €5 by texting the word CHILD to 57800 today!