Meet Ruth Houkom, this week’s Ben’s Bells Bellee. Paige F. Hamner nominated Ruth for her work with Tucson Charity Bridge Club.
In 2011, Ruth Houkom had an idea of starting a duplicate bridge club and to donate the profits to charity. She negotiated an agreement to rent the community room of Streams of the Desert Lutheran Church and began Tucson Charity Bridge Club. TCBC was established as a non-profit to create a community of duplicate bridge players and to help the greater Tucson community. Each month a charity is nominated by a player to receive the monthly donation, usually about $3,000. As of September, 2021, Ruth’s brainchild club has donated a phenomenal total of $468,134 to more than 50 Tucson charities.
Ruth is a powerhouse, managing the club along with a team of knowledgeable and committed volunteer board members. Her enthusiasm for bridge, her dedication to Tucson charities, and her personal caring for the members is inspiring. Due to COVID 19, games were moved to an online site, Bridge Base Online, which returns a portion of their fees to TCBC. This procedure requires much effort to schedule, communicate, and coordinate with others’ games and the national bridge organization.
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If you know someone who inspires kindness within the Greater Tucson, Phoenix, or Connecticut community, nominate them for a Ben’s Bell. bensbells.org/forms/nominate-a-bellee
