Our Cause
The Cause
The mission of the Chef Carl Ruiz Culinary Arts Education Scholarship is to provide scholarship awards to assist qualified students who are in pursuit of an apprenticeship, certification, or post-secondary education in the area of Culinary Arts through an accredited culinary or hospitality school program.
Volunteers in Medicine Clinic was constructed on a 1.1-acre lot of land that the town of Hilton Head agreed to lease to VIM Clinic for $1.00 per year. On the day construction began, Dr. Jack paid off the entire cost of the lease – all $30.50 of it! When VIM Clinic first opened its doors with a group of 5 paid staff members, 48 retired physicians, 74 retired nurses, and 3 dentists, it was primarily a walk-in clinic with only part-time hours. By the end of that first year, the part-time clinic had seen over 3,000 patients.
Over the past 28 years, the clinic has seen significant growth. Today, there are 22 full-time equivalent employees who operate the clinic with the help of over 650 retired and professional volunteers. As a team, the clinic staff and volunteers see over 10,000 patients with over 28,000 patient visits annually.
