Denise has been struggling with severe bipolar disorder for more than two decades which made it extremely challenging for her to hold down a job and pay the bills - even while being medicated for this condition (which she voluntarily stopped in 2010). As a result, she has been forced into homelessness for more than a decade.
She is mostly remembered by fans and followers for her outstanding bodybuilding accomplishments back in the late 80s and early 90s.
She turned Pro at the 1993 NPC USA Championships and competed in that year’s Ms Olympia, shocking the bodybuilding world by placing second (ahead of 31 of the best international professionals in the sport) in her first and only attempt. In total, she managed to beat 75 other competitors across three contests that year.
However, within the Venice (California) community, she is just as equally remembered for her kindness and unselfishness towards the neighborhood kids. Through her ‘Big Sister’ program, Denise dedicated a lot of her time and money to ensure kids within, her and other, troubled neighborhoods were kept off the streets, out of trouble, and away from rampant gang violence. Aside from looking after them daily after school and on weekends, she also took them to theme parks, wrestling shows, and states as far away as Hawaii (while traveling for her contests, seminars, and guest posing invitations) which allowed the kids to see and experience many new things. And, most notably, her ‘Big Sister’ program was entirely self-funded (which is all the more impressive considering she was never officially sponsored or offered a contract, not even after her outstanding achievements in 1993).
Sadly, Denise has suffered from several bouts of mania and, as a consequence, homelessness since her sudden departure from the sport back in 1994, both of which continue to this day. She is still homeless in Fort Worth but has been able to make do with the help of night shelters and outreach groups.
Recently, her mother and a few of her old friends decided to raise some money to help with food and clothing (which, being homeless, don’t last very long given the damage caused by being outdoors most of the time). So far, 5 people have contributed. One of Denise’s friends took it upon themselves to deliver all the donations (food, clothing, and money) every week while paying out of pocket for gas and a hot meal which they normally take to her during each visit.
Her plight is clearly complicated which simply makes the task of estimating a donation target all the more difficult. For now, the main objective is to ensure Denise’s basic needs (food and clothing) are, and continue to be, met and any additional donations will be used to help Denise get back on her feet (accommodation and medical treatment - if and when she agrees to receive treatment again). All donations will be received and handled on Denise’s behalf by her mother: Sandra Rutkowski.
This is the official Facebook page we have set up for Denise [https://www.facebook.com/DeniserutkowskiOFFICIAL/] and, for a long time, some of you have been messaging us for ways to directly help her. Now we can finally say that this is possible. We’re calling on your support. No donation is too small.
Please contact us (DM) if you need more information on how you can help. We'll try to post as many updates (here and on the FB page) as we can.
We appreciate whatever help you can offer. Thank you.
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Text Archive of the gofundme.
