28. Jun and the Karic Foundation today announced a multi-year, Serbian cultural restoration project called ‘Serbian Heritage Revival’.

28. Jun kicked off the project with monetary donations to Serbian Churches and Monasteries in Gracanica, Berane, Kistanje, Glamoc, Treskavac and New York City. Long term sub-projects to support the monasteries in Zica, Pec and Krka are also under way.

Additionally the two organizations will work on the following:

• retrieving valuable historical artifacts that disappeared from Serbian museums during WWI and WWII
• encouraging Serbian students from the diaspora to finish their Higher Education studies in Serbia
• promoting the legacy of leading Serbian intellectuals; Maric, Tesla, Pupin and Milankovic
• encouraging traditional Serbian family values through the arts

To learn more about the aspects of the project which will be lead by the Karic Foundation CLICK HERE, to learn more about the aspects which will be lead by 28. Jun CLICK HERE.

Watch 28. Jun accept our award for 5 years of humanitarian work from the Tesla Science Foundation/Office for Diaspora on: https://www.facebook.com/28jun/videos/1441140082619465/

I, Filip Filipi founded 28. Jun 5 years ago because there was no other Serbian humanitarian organization around in the diaspora which I could have joined. Everyone told me I was crazy because our people are impossible to unite. Everyone was wrong.

Here is what we have done over the past 5 years:

We managed to acquire 170 tons of humanitarian, medical and disaster relief aid worth over $4.4 mil and deliver it to Serbs all over the the Western Balkans

We coordinated youth fundraisers and awareness events in over 120 cities, across 30 countries which raised over $250,000 then used to transport our aid

We led the #NoKosovoUnesco digital campaign advocating NO vote on Kosovo UNESCO membership; amassing 140,000 petition signatures and 100,000 viral video views

We engineered marketing campaigns which attracted over 500,000 followers to our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and mailing list giving us the largest database of Serbs in the world

We directed the airlift of 30,000 lbs of urgent humanitarian relief directly into Belgrade from Toronto during the 2014 Southeast Europe floods

And finally last month WE presented at the pinnacle event of humanitarian work; the UN’s first ever World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, alongside 2000 of the world’s top humanitarians, in a list which included UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Angela Merkel, the presidents, ministers and ambassadors of over 150 countries and the leaders of every large humanitarian organization in the world.

We DID this together. Our VP Milo Dubak from Chicago and his entire family worked 14 hour days to load containers during the floods in 2014. Our UK coordinator Relja Ilic was helping send relief aid for flood victims the morning after his mother died. Our global ambassador Marko Racic organized a dozen humanitarian events in the Toronto area as his mother was battling terminal cancer. Sasa and Aleksandra Guculj took 2 months off work to see that all material aid from North America was properly delivered to people in need on the ground. Aleksandra was recovering from a car accident which she didn’t tell me about until all the aid was loaded onto containers. Our European coordinator Petar Grabez and Marko Petrovic stayed up 72 hours after the floods hit to head our communications center and coordinate our efforts in Europe before waking up and proceeding to go load containers themselves. Our coordinator for Germany Aleks Naum, paid for 2 containers for Republika Srpska out of his own pocket after we had exhausted all funds because we had just paid for an airplane from Toronto and sent 8 containers via ship before any other organization sent even one. Our members Tamara Hadzi-Pavlovic and Stana Dubajic spent their entire winter and spring holidays doing humanitarian deliveries instead of seeing their families and enjoying their vacation time. Marko Sejat invested 100s of hours designing all the artistic material we used to create our base and personally mailed out 1000 posters all over the world for the ‘Boj za Kosovo’ campaign before the organization had a single donation. Ceca Radmanovic, Diana Todic, Neven Vujinovic, Ana Zivkovic, Aleksandra Orbovic, Branka and Mile Celap, Marko Karac, Andrej Babic, Jovana Magazin and Daniel Jankovic worked tirelessly organizing events in Canada, as did Amanda Andjelov, Dusanka Barisic, Jovana Zelenbaba, Nenad Arcaba, Milica Miocinovic, Stefan Popovic, Nikolina Dzinkic and Marko Lipar in Australia. As did Marina Kuzmanovic, Filip Dzafic, Stefan Sofronijevic, Katarina Duvnjak, Marija Karlicic, Dijana Loncar, Djordje Savanovic, Danilo Lesnjak in Europe and as did Dusko Kuzmanovic, Aleksandar Rakic, Igor Maric, Nina and Dusan Matic, and Andrija Stanojcic in America. Those who supported us over the years; Boris Malagurski, Dule Vicovac, Milinko Filipovic, Ivana Andjelkovic, Zvezdana Scott, Lana Matijevic, Jelena Vujovic, Kristina Pavlovic, LP Corbett and Ubavka. Our former members who I worked to death, their contribution will always be remembered; Suzana Bicanin, Kosovka Spreco, Tara Garic, Juliana Pandurevic, Jovan Subotic and especially Nikola Peric. And finally our coordinator for France who passed away in May, Sofija Buckvicki, rest in Peace.

However we could have not done this without the entire Serbian diaspora and the eternal guardian of the Serbian people; the Serbian Orthodox Church. I expressed this to his Holiness Patriarch Irinej in person yesterday. Thank you everyone – and we look forward to making you proud over the next 5 years!

Filip Filipi Jankovic,
28. Jun President

Serbian humanitarian organization 28. Jun made 5 humanitarian deliveries to Gracanica, Nevesinje, Kistanje, Obrenovac and Bojnik on Vidovdan 2016.

28. Jun Central Europe coordinator Tamara Hadzi-Pavlovic and Nikola Stanisic delivered a baby stroller for twins, food, and house needs to Kosara hero Novica Spasic and his family in Bojnik, Southern Serbia. They then visited the house of the Gagic brothers, Zlatibor and Dalibor and ordered house building material for them.

A large 28. Jun delegation, lead by 28. Jun European coordinator Petar Grabez, 28. Jun coordinator for Western Canada Daniel Jankovic, 28. Jun German coordinator Ljiljana Zivanovic and 28. Jun Italian coordinator Marko Kukic visited the monastery in Gracanica to mark Vidovdan celebrations and make a financial donation to the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija.

28. Jun president Filip Filipi Jankovic was joined by 28. Jun Australian coordinator David Lezaic as they visited the Serbian Orthodox Church ‘Sveti Cirilo i Metodije’ in Kistanje, Krajina where they made a donation. The group then headed to Nevesinje, Republika Srpska to make the organization’s first delivery to Hercegovina with youth volunteer leader Angelina Djordjevic. Secondary school “Aleksa Santic” was gifted notebooks and pens for all the students after our partner Maja Kovac renovated 6 classrooms in the school.

This was our biggest single day delivery and we want to thank all our supporters, donors and members for making this happen. We kicked off 5th anniversary celebrations at Serbian Day in Niagara Falls, Canada and they will go until October 16th, the day on which 5 years ago we began ‘Boj za Kosovo‘ – the largest ever humanitarian project to help Kosovo Serbs. We have 28 events planned all around the world over the next several months.

To learn more about our humanitarian work please visit www.28jun.org and Like us on facebook.com/28jun

Srpska humanitarna organizacija “28. Jun” je na Vidovdan, 28. juna 2016. podelila pomoć u Gračanici, Nevesinju, Kistanjama, Obrenovcu i Bojniku.

Koordinator organizacije za Centralnu Evropu, Tamara Hadži-Pavlović i Nikola Stanišić, su posetili porodicu heroja sa Košara, Novicu Spasića u Bojniku, na jugu Srbije, i tom prilikom im odneli dečja kolica za novorođene blizance, hranu i kućne potrepštine. Istog dana su posetili braću Gagić, Zlatibora i Dalibora i poručili građevinski materijal za njihovu nedovršenu kuću u blizini Obrenovca.

Druga veća delegacija 28. juna, na čijem čelu je bio koordinator za Evropu, Petar Grabež, a pratnja koordinator za Zapadnu Kanadu, Daniel Jankovic, koordinator za Nemačku Ljiljana Zivanovic i koordinator za Italiju, Marko Kukic, posetila je manastir Gračanicu i tamo učestvovala u proslavi Vidovdana na Gazimestanu, nakon čega je uručila prilog Srpskoj pravoslavnoj crkvi na Kosovu i Metohiji.

Predsednik organizacije, Filip Filipi Janković i koordinator organizacije za Australiju, David Ležaić, posetili su Srpsku pravoslavnu crkvu “Sveti Ćirilo i Metodije” u Kistanjama, u Krajini u kojoj su takođe dali priloge u ime organizacije. Ova grupa je zatim nastavila put prema Nevesinju, u Republici Srpskoj gde su ujedno odneli prvu donaciju u Hercegovinu, gde im je pomagala Angelina Djordjevic, mladi član organizacije. Tom prilikom, srednja škola “Aleksa Šantić” dobila je sveske i olovke za sve učenike ove škole, čijih 6 učionica je nedavno renovirala naša saradnica Maja Kovac.

Ova vidovdanska akcija je naša najveća jednodnevna akcija do sad i prilika da se još jednom zahvalimo svim našim donatorima, onima koji na drugi način podržavaju naš rad i našim članovima, koji su omogućili sve ovo.

Istovremeno, aktivnosti vezane za proslavu 5. godišnjice organizacije započete su na “Srpski dan” u Nijagarinim Vodopadima, u Kanadi i trajaće do 16. oktobra – čime ćemo obeležiti dan na koji je pre 5 godina započet “Boj za Kosovo” – najveći humanitarni projekat pomoći Srbima na Kosovu. Uz to, za narednih nekoliko meseci ove godine pripremili smo 28 humanitarnih događaja širom sveta.

Za više informacija o našem humanitarnom radu posetite naš sajt na www.28jun.org i podržite nas na Fejsbuku facebook.com/28jun 

A 28. Jun delegation lead by President Filip Filipi Jankovic visited the Health Center in Gracanica and the Clinical Center in Nis and promised continued humanitarian assistance to Serbia’s impoverished south.

Filipi Jankovic inspected how the aid, valued at over $2 mil, delivered in 2012 and 2013 was being utilized. The team also met with Dr. Zoran Radovanovic, director of the Clinical Center Nis and head administrators of Health Center in Gracanica before visiting the storied Gracanica monastery and placing a ‘Kosovo je Srbija bracelet on the Bill Clinton statue in Pristina.

28. Jun is planning a series of fundraisers around the world to help fund the new medical equipment and is now also accepting corporate sponsorships in exchange for philanthropic publicity to our mailing list and social media which reaches nearly 1 million Serbs around the world. For more information please contact info@28jun.org

28. Jun had the honor of heading the Youth Forum at the first ever Serbian Summit in Zurich, Switzerland this past weekend. The event was conducted under the auspices of the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chamber of Commerce with business magnate Rebecca MacDonald as honorary chair. The forum was first of its kind to bring Serbs in the motherland and the diaspora in the fields of finance, culture and academia together at one gathering.

28. Jun’s presentation was live streamed to our 250,000 followers on Facebook and can be seen HERE. Besides being the official humanitarian partner of the event, we have already agreed to organize all the marketing for next years summit!

We want to specially thank Ambassador Ljiljana Niksic and Stojan Stevanovic, President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce in Switzerland for their friendship and hospitality.

28. Jun presented at the UN’s first ever World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul on May 23-24. We feel extremely lucky to have had 3 spots out of 2000 people invited, in a list which included UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Angela Merkel, the presidents, ministers and ambassadors of over 150 countries and the leaders of every large humanitarian organization in the world.

In what is without a doubt the biggest honor in the 5 year history of our young organization, 28. Jun was personally invited by Stephen O’Brien, United Nations’ Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. At the summit, 28. Jun spoke at two special sessions which dealt with the migrant crisis and connecting businesses with humanitarian work. We also met with Ban Ki-moon and Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and former Prime Minister of New Zealand. 28. Jun also attended a private screening of Sean Penn‘s new humanitarian-themed movie ‘The Last Face’ where we thanked him for not politicizing the conflict in the film like Angelina Jolie did in her anti-Serbian propaganda piece ‘The Land of Blood and Honey’.

Because 28. Jun was the only organization representing the Western Balkans at the summit, we also attended on behalf of the Red Cross of Serbia and the Serbian Ministry of Labour. In preparation for the summit, we met and consulted with Serbian Ambassador to the US, Djerdj Matkovic in Washington and Ambassador Dr. Ljiljana Niksic in Belgrade at the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During both days of the summit 28. Jun members wore traditional Serbian head wear and were approached numerous times by others in attendance who wanted to learn more.

For more information on 28. Jun’s humanitarian work over the past 5 years and to support, please visit: www.28jun.org

To our wonderful supporters:

As many of you have heard, the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava in Manhattan was completely destroyed by fire on Orthodox Easter.

The Church was a New York City landmark for generations; it hosted Nikola Tesla’s funeral service in 1943 and was visited by Patriarch Pavle in 1992. We at 28.Jun immediately reached out to Father Djokan Majstorovic and his son Savo and offered our support to help rebuild the Church, and we are pleased to announce that the church administration has accepted our offer of assistance.

Donations can be made at either https://28jun.org/#donate or http://stsavanyc.org. To the first 500 individuals to donate via 28. Jun’s website, we will ship a Brojanica bracelet, handmade in Kosovo, with all proceeds going to help rebuild the Church.

28. Jun has a special connection with the Church as they were the first to support our inaugural humanitarian project ‘Boj za Kosovo’ back in 2011. We had just successfully completed our Easter humanitarian project to rebuild the homes of three impoverished Serbian families, when we heard the devastating news. We now seek to put all of our efforts into helping rebuild another home, the spiritual home of the Serbian faith.

Please support us as we help rebuild this iconic center of Serbian culture and spirituality in North America: https://28jun.org/#donate

Our humanitarian campaign allowed for us to help the Stoijlković family (Radislav & Danijela, along with the children Anita, 22 & Nenad 13) by purchasing much needed food for them as well as desperately needed materials required for making their roof, which as you may remember was lost during a house fire. We were able to, thanks to your donations, purchase much needed material for Jevrem’s (disabled pensioner) house & roof, we were also able to purchase food for Jevrem. We would like to thank our volunteer Vesna Stojanović, from Leskovac for all of her hard work.

We would also like to advise you all and once again, thank all those who donated and supported our campaign to help Zlatibor & Dalibor, two refugee brothers from Krajina, who now live near Obrenovac. Our campaign has allowed for us to purchase the much needed material required for their house, which has until now been unlivable in, due to lack of insulation & other basic requirements. We will be making the delivery of materials on Saint George/Đurđevdan.

New floods have struck Serbia, putting lives, homes and churches at risk. Hundreds of people had to evacuate their homes, while hundreds of houses remained under threat, police said. In several villages and towns, entire areas have been left without electricity or water. This is the worst flooding Serbia has seen since the historically devastating 2014 Southeast Europe floods when 28. Jun lead the humanitarian effort, delivering 85 tons of aid worth over $1 mil. This included the airlift of 15 tons of the most urgent relief into Belgrade from Toronto. 28. Jun collected, delivered and distributed over 90% of ALL material donations during the floods. We have a proven track record and volunteers on the ground waiting to assist. Please donate now via PayPal (info@28jun.org) or Credit Card on this link: https://28jun.org/#donate