First Serbian Philanthropic Gala was held on November 23, 2019 in New York City in partnership with the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation and was attended by over 350 people. Attendees were mostly from the greater New York City area, but also from other parts of the United States of America, Canada and Europe. The event was a special occasion to raise funds for the critical work that the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation accomplish through its Scholarship Program.
As over 30 percent of children in Serbia live in poverty, the Scholarship program has been initiated to support underprivileged high school students in Serbia who have demonstrated academic excellence. Each student is awarded with a $1,000 for the current year to cover their expenses and provide support to continue excelling academically. On a yearly basis the Foundation receives over 500 applications and so far they have been able to provide 368 scholarships. The number of children in need is so big therefore we wanted to raise the funds to help in this critical mission.
Through the generous donations, we were able to raise $58,000 throughout the night, which means we were able to assist in awarding an additional 58 scholarships.
The event program was led by Serbian renowned acting stars Katarina Radivojević and Radivoje Bukvić. Part of the music program were performances of jazz-soul artist Aleksandra Denda with the music group Rosa as well as Jana Šušteršič. The attendees also had the opportunity to enjoy the presentation of children’s folk group Opančići.
We deeply value individuals and organizations whose dedication to the Serbian community is meaningful through their philanthropic work and whose leadership and community building stands out and inspires others. As part of our Serbian Philanthropic Gala, we honored those individuals with the Excellence in Philanthropic Action Award and Philanthropic Legacy and Leadership Award.
Excellence in Philanthropic Action Award was presented to Mrs. Anka Erne for her long standing philanthropic contribution in Serbian Diaspora and to Mr. Milorad Jurkovic, known as Carpenter Mile (Stolar Mile), for his exceptional philanthropic work in Serbia. The Philanthropic Legacy and Leadership Award was presented to Mrs. Zorka Milich for her long-standing civic and philanthropic contribution to the Serbian community and culture in Serbian Diaspora.
We received help from many partners and performers who went out of their way to make this event happen. We would like to give special thanks to Air Serbia, our main corporate partner, along with Etihad Airways, and we would like to show our deep appreciation to our grand sponsors Dijana and Mark Jovanović, and sponsors Mr. Paul Krause, Mr. Živorad Tomić, Mr. Steve Milovanović and Mr. Serge Todorović. Also, we thank all active participants of the program, Opančići youth ensemble, vocal group ROSA (dressed by Kozjak Fashion), Jana Šušteršič, Sarma brass band, Andrija Gavrilović and Dragan Heinrich band, as well as NY1Minute Photography, Choose Us Digital, SeeArt, Consulate of the Republic of Serbia in New York, Serbian American Professional Network, Kulturni Događaji NYC, Serbian Entrepreneurs Club, and Saint Sava Cathedral of New York, Kafana restaurant, Zarić Destilerija, Eugene Chocolates and Tourism Organization of Serbia.
We thank all the attendees, individuals and organizations who contributed to making the event such a success and look forward to continuing to host the event on a yearly basis.