Three AmCham member companies honoured at 14th VIRTUS Philanthropy Awards
By AmChamPublished On 13/05/2021
The Main Award for a national contribution was won by MK Group d.o.o.for donations exceeding one million euros used to finance purchases of medical equipment for healthcare facilities and humanitarian food packages for vulnerable groups, help arrange transportation for children needing treatment abroad, and support children without parental care.
The award for long-term partnership between business and the non-profit sector was bestowed on Raiffeisen Banka a.d. Beograd, which partnered with the Yugoslav Drama Theatre for its Popust na umetnost (‘Art Discount’) initiative that placed tickets for shows on sale at highly accessible prices, resulting in more than 12,000 sales.
Delta Holding won the special award for most innovative project. Delta Holding’s unique initiative entitled Naše selo (‘Our Village’) was aimed at helping revitalise and develop rural communities by offering training in modern farming methods and financial support. In 2020, the company’s staff volunteered more than 400 hours to educate and advise farmers about primary and secondary agricultural production techniques.
Apart from AmCham members, also awarded were Front d.o.o., the micro-enterprise CCS Solutions d.o.o., IKEA Srbija d.o.o., and Paraćin-based Poslovni Sistem Mihajlović. Also recognised were local individuals for special contributions to the communities they live and work in.
The individual recipients were Aleksandar Alek Kavčićof Belgrade, inventor and professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US, for his contribution to advancing elementary and secondary education in Serbia; Mirjana Mutuc, accountant of Novi Sad, who was honoured for her work on tackling poverty; and Selma Hasić Manić and Nerma Zekić Hoćanin, both of Novi Pazar, who received the Young Philanthropist Award.
The 2020 VIRTUS Awards received financial support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of its Framework for Giving activity, and also benefited from assistance from the European Union, Balkan Trust for Democracy, Balkan Civil Society Development Network, and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.
