Cancer doesn't halt effort to aid orphans
EVANS CITY — A terminal illness is no match for Tom Rutkoski's determination to help others, whether in the borough or the African savanna.
Rutkoski, who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2005, continues to operate Abobe for Children, a nonprofit organization on Main Street that he founded in 1995.
The organization raises funds to build and support orphanages and schools in developing countries.
Formerly an inspirational speaker, Rutkoski got the idea for the agency after an engagement in Ogoja, Nigeria.
"I said 'Who are all these kids running around?' and they said 'They're all orphans,'" Rutkoski said. "I thought, 'I am not a rich man, but I will find a way to do something about this.'"
Rutkoski then wrote and self-published "Apostles of the Last Days," the first of his four books, using proceeds to build an orphanage in Ogoja. He then set out to raise operating funds for the school/orphanage through sponsorship programs, and was surprised at the phenomenon he discovered.
"In the richest areas of the U.S., no one would sponsor a child," said Rutkoski. "In the most impoverished areas, we would get lots of sponsors."
The facility in Ogoja houses and educates 750 male and female orphans ages 5 to 16. Many of the youths are orphaned by AIDS or released by impoverished parents unable to provide them with care.
A second one in Guntur, India, educates 600 boys and girls and houses 150 orphaned boys. Fundraising is under way to build a girls' dorm there.Rutkoski was just beginning to raise funds for the India campus when he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of cancer of plasma cells located in bone marrow."I may die of this cancer, and who knows when?" said Rutkoski. "But there are children starving who don't have a slice of bread. I have to do something about that.""I've never met a guy like Tom," said Mark Deandreas, vice president of marketing and development for Abode for Children. "He never gives up, and he's there in this challenging circumstance to pull everybody else through."Rutkoski's wife of 36 years, Mary, said she is amazed, yet unsurprised, at her husband's bravery and unwavering faith in the face of his diagnosis."He is willing to accept whatever God has in store for him and I think that's unbelievable," said Mary Rutkoski. "It also makes dealing with the crisis so much easier and better."
She said her husband's personality, coupled with his faith, makes him a worthy candidate for such a devastating diagnosis."This kind of thing energizes him," Mary said. "He becomes more active and more involved in the face of adversity."Rutkoski has endured several medical procedures over the last three years, including a stem-cell transplant three weeks ago that doctors said would include a three-month recuperation period.Rutkoski, who was back at the Abode for Children office two weeks later, described passing out chocolates and the good news of Christ to his peers when he entered the hospital for surgery. On the day he was admitted, Rutkoski spent the morning taking calls for prayer requests from others."I pray for those people every day and I take it very seriously," he said.
The 64-year-old patient said he sneaked out of the hospital to eat at a restaurant, then went fishing two days after his surgery despite his doctors' advice to rest.Rutkoski's only regret in the diagnosis was its timing, as he was preparing to begin fundraising for the orphanage and school in India."I said 'All right God, if you're going to take me, I'd like a half million dollars.' Within two weeks we had it (through personal and corporate donations and sponsors)."The Mary Rose Buds High School and Orphanage now boasts 60 local staff members, including several certified Indian teachers. Rutkoski said it takes about five personal sponsorships to pay for one child to live and learn at Mary Rose Buds.He said he now needs $100,000 to build the girls' dormitory there, but he has run into a barrier in raising money."We just can't get corporate America to sponsor our kids," he said.Rutkoski also hopes to see construction begin on a new Abode for Children facility in Mexico City before the end of the year.Rutkoski said those interested in joining the current 700 individuals who sponsor orphans can log onto www.abodeforchildren.org, stop at the Abode for Children office on Main Street in Evans City or call 724-538-5700. Sponsors can correspond with their child and receive regular progress reports.
