VIRTUS award for 2020
The leading award for contribution at the national level – MK Group Ltd.
MK Group Ltd. for donations with a total value of more than one million euros intended for the purchase of medical equipment for health institutions and humanitarian food packages for socially vulnerable citizens, transportation of children for medical treatment abroad, support for children without parental care and institutions and organizations operating in the field of culture. During 2020, the company provided vacations for 450 medical workers in hotels it owns in Serbia and the region and supported the work of the Putokaz family support centre in Niš, enabling almost 170 children to stay with their families and achieve better results in schooling.
Award for contribution to the local community where the company operates – eFront Ltd.
Company eFront Ltd. from Belgrade (part of the BlackRock company) for support and empowerment programs for children and youth without parental care and in the process of leaving foster care in Belgrade. In cooperation with the Centre for Positive Development of Children and Youth – CEPORA. During the previous year, the company organized more than 250 online classes and counselling sessions related to employment for more than 130 children. In addition, the employees of the company, in addition to buying products from the Center Zvezda, devoted their time to organizing an online sales exhibition and delivering the sold products to customers, while the company sent a monetary donation to the organization for each volunteer hour of its employees. eFront also organized numerous trips and gatherings with children without parental care, but also provided scholarships for talented high school students in Belgrade.
Small and medium enterprise award – CCS Solutions Ltd.
CCS Solutions Ltd., a micro-enterprise from Belgrade, for the donation of its product, the multi-purpose ecological mask Green Mask, as well as other medical and protective equipment, to numerous health, educational and social protection institutions in Serbia. During the previous year, the company donated protective equipment worth almost 11% of its annual turnover.
Award for a long-term partnership between business and non-profit sector – Raiffeisen Bank JSC Belgrade
Raiffeisen Bank JSC Belgrade for a sixteen-year partnership with the Yugoslav Drama Theater on programs to improve and popularize theatre art. As part of the Art Discount program, organized on several occasions, the bank provided the audience with the purchase of tickets for all performances of this theatre at popular prices, which resulted in the sale of more than 12,000 tickets. In addition to regular monetary donations to the theatre, the bank provides gift vouchers for theatre repertoire to its clients every year. In the year of the pandemic, Raiffeisen Bank provided all interested citizens of Serbia with access to quality artistic and cultural content on its Remote Art website, specially created during the state of emergency, broadcasting a selection of the theatre’s most popular performances.
. Award for individual contribution to philanthropy – Aleksandar Alek Kavčić
Aleksandar Alek Kavčić from Belgrade, inventor and professor at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States, for his contribution to the improvement of primary and secondary education in Serbia. In his desire to provide free textbooks for all primary school students in Serbia, Aleksandar invested approximately one million euros to purchase the annual circulation of primary school textbooks, which he published online for free download. In 2020, Aleksandar additionally donated 20 computers of the latest generation to the Mathematical High School, and he redistributed 20 computers, which he donated to this high school in 2019, to five primary schools in Serbia. This former student of the Belgrade Mathematics High School, in addition to the monetary donation, was personally involved in the selection of donated equipment, as well as the complete organization of the procurement of textbooks, which he made available for free use.
Special award for the most innovative project – Delta Holding
Delta Holding for the unique project Our Village, with which the company launched the development and reconstruction of villages in Serbia, providing knowledge about modern agriculture, financial support, as well as support in the placement of 40 farms in the villages of Mala Jasikova and Dubočane in the vicinity of Zaječar. During 2020, the company’s employees dedicated more than 400 volunteer hours to educating and advising the locals about primary and secondary production, and as part of the Our Village Market campaign, they bought products from these farms, helping them earn regular income during the crisis period. The company, in cooperation with the Zaječar Health Center, extended the operation of village clinics and renovated elementary schools in both villages. In addition, the employees of the company prepared and donated New Year’s packages for all the children from both villages as part of the traditional action of Santa Claus’ assistants, while Delta Holding donated a sum of money for each newborn baby to families from these villages.
Special award for contribution to gender equality – IKEA Serbia Ltd.
IKEA Srbija d.o.o. za sveobuhvatni doprinos rodnoj ravnopravnosti i osnaživanju žena u Srbiji. Tokom 2020. godine, kompanija je sprovela kampanju protiv nasilja u porodici Siguran dom je bolji dom, kao odgovor na eskalaciju ovog društvenog problema usled pandemije virusa COVID-19. Kako bi doprinela rešavanju ovog problema u lokalnoj zajednici, u saradnji sa Fondacijom Ana i Vlade Divac, IKEA je uputila novčanu donaciju više od 700 porodica i 1.500 pojedinaca i pojedinki širom Srbije, koje pripadaju ranjivim kategorijama stanovništva, uključujući žrtve porodičnog nasilja. Dodatno, povodom 16 dana aktivizma protiv rodno zasnovanog nasilja, u robnoj kući IKEA istaknuti su brojevi SOS telefona namenjeni žrtvama nasilja. U želji da stvori prilike za bolji položaj žena u društvu i njihovu veću ekonomsku nezavisnost, a u partnerstvu sa kompanijom Mastercard i Fondacijom Ana i Vlade Divac, IKEA realizuje projekat podrške ženama preduzetnicama Ja sam ODVAŽNA!.
Special award for long-term contribution to the local community where the company operates – Poslovni Sistem Mihajlović
Mihajlović business system from Paraćin for almost three decades of support in goods and money to socially vulnerable fellow citizens, talented pupils and students, deserving individuals in various spheres of social life, numerous health, educational and cultural institutions, as well as civil society organizations of this municipality. In 2020, a year of great health challenges, this company donated funds for the care, treatment and care of the most vulnerable social groups, procured medical and computer equipment for health institutions in Paraćin and its surroundings, and financed the treatment abroad of children and young people from this region. In addition, last year the company marked 30 years of its work with a voluntary blood donation campaign in cooperation with the Niš Transfusion Institute and the Paraćin Red Cross organization, during which it donated lunch vouchers to all participants of the campaign, which could be used in the company’s restaurant.
Special award for individual contribution to poverty reduction – Mirjana Mutuc
Since 2018, Mirjana Mutuc, an accountant from Novi Sad, has been preparing and donating meals of cooked food for families who cannot afford them, with her two daughters. Every month, Mirjana and her daughters provide meals to around 200 families, they buy groceries from donations and their funds, and they also provide conditional meals in several restaurants and fast-food kiosks in Novi Sad and the surrounding area. When the needs began to exceed their capabilities, they opened the Facebook group “A Meal for the Family” and the story spread throughout Serbia. The group now has over 10,000 active members, and food for families, except in Novi Sad, is prepared by families in more than 20 places across the country. The mother and two daughters, in addition to providing cooked meals for the families, supply the families with basic food, clothing and other daily necessities.
Special award for young philanthropists – Selma Hasić Manić and Nerma Zekić Hoćanin
Selma Hasić Manić and Nerma Zekić Hoćanin from Novi Pazar, surprised by the situation in Novi Pazar at the very beginning of the epidemiological crisis, launched an urgent campaign to collect money for the purchase of the most necessary medical equipment for the General Hospital in this city. In just one day, through social networks, with the help of citizens and the diaspora, they collected 36,000 euros. During the past year, these young philanthropists donated medical and protective equipment for health institutions and pharmacies in Sandzak, as well as their fellow citizens for home treatment, collecting aid worth 100,000 euros. In addition to actions to help health institutions, Selma and Nerma collected money to help 200 single mothers around Eid, they helped children without parental care, as well as the elderly.