Paul Ross, founder of Pacific Kids, climbed to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro last weekend to raise funds for his orphanage in Fiji, Loloma Homes. In this part, we talk about his journey to become the person he is today
he is today
he is today
In June 2004, Paul Ross received some news that changed his life forever. His mother and he were diagnosed with cancer on the same day. Unfortunately, she passed away seven weeks later. But Ross continued with his struggle and finally overcame the illness.
Ross remembers, “My mother was my best friend and having been raised with four brothers and a sister with me being the youngest by 11 years, they left home when I was very young. So it was basically mum and I. My step dad had passed away in 2003 and my mum had lost her will to live, which was very hard for me to accept. Having said that when we were both diagnosed on the 14th June 2004, I was purely focussed on my survival as my biggest fear was not giving my then six- month-old daughter away on her wedding day. This was my driver and I never looked back – this has taught me the value of life: live each day, hear the birds in the trees and be both present and live each moment.”
During this time, he spent a lot of time in a hospice and was very touched by the support and comfort he received there. All of the caregivers in the hospice were volunteers and each had their own stories to tell of how they lost loved ones. These experiences touched him in such a way that he felt it was his responsibility to ‘give back’ and make a difference to someone else in need.
GIVING BACK
In January 2010, one of his senior employees at Power Marketing, Leith Gray was killed in a car accident leaving behind his partner and eight- month-old baby. This was Ross’s first opportunity to ‘give back’. “I set up a trust fund for baby Eden to ensure she would be ok financially in years to come,” says Ross.
Between his staff and himself, they raised enough funds to support Leith’s family. “In fact, on January 14, I transferred $8,500 to an account for Eden’s schooling,” adds Ross.The next opportunity to ‘give back’ came from a family vacation to Fiji. A family friend of offered to take Ross’s daughter, Estella and some of her friends to visit an orphanage where she does a lot voluntary work when she visits Fiji.
The girls were very moved by this experience and loved playing with the children. They came home with many stories and a huge realisation that the lives of these children were so very different from their own. That night when Estella went to bed, she was very emotional.
“When I asked her what was wrong she broke down into tears. I have never seen her cry like this before and she explained that she really wanted to help these kids,” says Ross.
Estella asked, “Can we adopt one of the little girls because she doesn’t have a Mummy or Daddy.” The following day Estella and her friends walked around the pool at the Hilton Fiji and asked adults to donate money to the Orphanage. They got $264 and purchased some of the items on the Orphanage’s “basic wish list” and delivered them on their next visit.
Upon their return, my wife Leysa& I sat down with Estella to form a plan to help our
Pacific children and ‘give back’.
Ross says, “This journey started from Estella’s vision as a seven-year-old and this has touched her like nothing else. In September this year, her class of 15 students from Year 6 at Kohia Terrace school, visited the home for a week where we built gardens, sandpits and erected a trampoline.” Ross’s “ultimate” dream “is to be across the Pacific in five years and to establish a home aptly named ‘Estella’s hom’.
After they started with their work, the employees were asked if they would be happy to donate from their pay each week to go into a fund. “All of my staff said yes and they
contribute $2 to $20 per week,” says a proud Ross.
“Although I am the driver behind this initiative, I am only one of many coming together to make this possible. The aim of our foundation is to help families and the children who are less fortunate and the motivation is to simply ‘give back’,” says Ross. “Together we can ‘make a difference’. I have had the last 3.5 years working with so many wonderful people and thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart.”
He adds, “The joys of having a supportive wife as Leysa lets me follow my goals and aspirations. I know without her support and blessing, this simply wouldn’t be possible and it’s that simple.”