The Russians are coming ...

When Tatiana Vinda of Moscow got an email from America telling her she'd won a VIP trip to Las Vegas, she first thought it was some kind of joke.

Russians play practical jokes on each other on April Fool's Day just as we do in the United States, but Tatiana didn't know if we did it on the same day.

Maybe, she thought, Americans have a July Fool's Day on the Fourth of July.

She knows better now. She's busy planning her trip to Vegas.

Tatiana is the winner of the mammoth It's Vegas, Baby Internet-based global raffle from The Rotary Club of Las Vegas West.

"I’m absolutely happy to have a chance to visit Las Vegas. I think this city is one of the miracles of the world created by the hands of people," says Tatiana.

"Also I've never stayed in a five-star hotel and never traveled by limousine."

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; a top-drawer show and fine dining in smart restaurants with taste-tempting menus, amid the brilliant sunshine of this cosmopolitan desert oasis.

The contest drew attention and entries from around the world. On Sunday, July 4, Independence Day, we drew the winning entry. Tatiana was one of nearly 500 entrants in the groundbreaking raffle.

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

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 named, not for its geographical location in the city, but because its members are people who moved to the capital from areas in eastern Russia.

Tatiana was just settling in back home from a trip to Montreal for RI's annual convention when she got her email sent by President-elect Bill Pierce. Now she's planning on heading back across the Atlantic.

Tatiana is a charter member of the Moscow East club, which was established in 2005. She is the immediate past president.

The divorced mother of Victoria, 14, Tatiana is representative in Moscow of a German company that imports business gifts and promotional items from Europe and China.

"We've had just 20 years of Rotary in Russia," says Tatiana.

"You know that our country was in isolation for many years. Now we are happy to be part of the international Rotarian community."

In Montreal, she says, she was delighted to meet and make friends with Rotarians from around the world.

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, immediate past governor of District 5300, picked Tatiana's winning ticket from a drum at a club barbecue at the home of President-elect Pierce.

Immediately after the drawing, Bill emailed the news to Tatiana, who -- given the time difference -- was 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.

"I want to thank Tom particularly for picking my ticket as the winning entry," says Tatiana.

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 daring use of the Internet to spur interest in a project by a Rotary club.