For volunteers at St. John Rescue and their supporters, the third week of December turned out to be a good one. Anticipated government funds arrived, followed by a successful holiday fundraiser.
Confirmation of the receipt of funding from the VI Territorial Emergency Management Agency came through Rescue President Bob Malacarne as he and other team members prepared for a Dec. 18 event and raffle drawing at their headquarters in Estate Glucksberg. Joining the last-minute ticket sales drive was Janet Cook-Rutnik, the artist who contributed a painting titled “Persephone.”
Donations of the painting and raffle door prizes by local businesses came in response to a Nov. 1 appeal from Malacarne for community support.
A $65,000 allocation approved by the VI government had yet to arrive. “We haven’t received any funding yet,” the group’s president had said, adding that if funding did not arrive, the group would have to tap into a small savings account to maintain its operations.
The appeal seemed to work; by Dec. 17, organizers posted a statement on social media saying the raffle to win Rutnik’s painting had sold out. Sales of raffle tickets for door prizes were also brisk, they said.
Encouraging news for St. John Rescue that week included photos of volunteers making repairs to a watercraft used for seagoing emergencies. The vessel, once known as Marine One, was first put into service in 2006 and is now expected to return to duty shortly.
