And the winner is: From Russia with love

Our club's It's Vegas, Baby Internet-based global raffle drew attention and entries from around the world. On Independence Day we drew the winning entry,

The lucky winner of a four-day VIP trip to our exciting home town of Las Vegas is Tatiana Vinda of the Russian capital city of Moscow.

Tatiana's winning entry was one of nearly 500 from Rotarians and others around the globe and in most US states.

The contest truly put the Rotary Club of Las Vegas West on the map, with entries from such exotic places as the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion; Fiji; Botswana and Finland.

As winner, Tatiana earns a four-day, expenses paid trip to the entertainment capital of the world, including round-trip air fare.

She and a partner will be treated to a stay at one of the world's most glamorous hotels; fine dining in smart restaurants with taste-tempting menus, amid the brilliant sunshine of this cosmopolitan desert oasis.

The contest was not restricted to Rotarians. Everyone, everywhere, was invited to enter. But the winner is a Rotarian.

Tatiana is a past president of the Rotary Club of Moscow East. The club is not named for its geographical location in the city, but because its members are people who moved to the capital from areas in eastern Russia.

All proceeds from the contest go to help underprivileged children in at-risk schools in Las Vegas and the other humanitarian programs of the club.

Our own Tom Novotny, most recent past governor of District 5300, picked Tatiana's winning ticket from a drum at a club barbecue at the home of President-elect Bill Pierce.

Immediately after the drawing, Bill emailed the news to Tatiana, who -- given the time difference -- was probably fast asleep in Moscow. Entrants in the Internet-based contest were told the winner would be notified by email.

Entrants were obliged to submit email addresses with their Internet entries. Each entry was allotted a paper ticket. Those were then popped into the drum for DG Tom to pick from.

The contest drew widespread support from people across the world, with notable mass entries from Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.

It even attracted the attention of Rotary International itself for its groundbreaking use of the Internet to spur interest in a project by a Rotary club.