Help US troops and diplomats improve US-Serbian relationships to promote peace in the Balkans
This project is fully funded. Thank you!
Your Impact
With the help of our donors, Spirit of America provided $74,408 in funding to support numerous U.S. Embassy projects throughout Serbia. Specific support included educational supplies for local schools, art supplies and furniture for a special needs center, and a monitor for a medical clinic in Belgrade.
This project is fully funded. THANK YOU!
In a January 2018 speech highlighting the rich history shared between Serbians and Americans, US Ambassador to Serbia, Kyle Scott said “The truth is that the ties that bind our two nations are part of our shared DNA. It literally flows in the veins of our peoples. Serbians have enriched American culture in virtually every field of human endeavor. Scientists, inventors, engineers, academics, soldiers, artists of all kinds, athletes — the list of renowned Serbians in American history is long and impressive.”
Serbian media interviews US Army soldiers to discuss how SoA and the US Embassy in Belgrade are working together to assist Serbian civil society. That ordinary Americans, represented by SoA’s donors, want to assist Serbian civil society is a powerful message for the people of Serbia.
Deputy Chief of Mission Donnelly and Dr. Aleksandar Ivanovic of Radiology Department, Clinical Center Belgrade discuss US contributions to lifesaving assistance provided to the Hospital.
Ambassador Scott went on to note, “For a brief moment in time, however, our two nations parted ways… The bitter memory of that period still hangs like a pall over our relations. We must recognize this, and accept it. But we must also move on – or more correctly move back to where we always were.” Spirit of America is proud to support the troops and diplomats working to reinvigorate the Serbian and American relationship and to support those bringing our nations closer.
Over the last 15 years, the US government has devoted over one billion dollars in taxpayer funds to help Serbian citizens improve Serbia and to restore Serbian-American relations. SoA’s model and capabilities provide a unique tool to display American generosity, ingenuity, and devotion to liberty, while also showing the positive impact of our government’s contributions in Serbia in a way that ordinary Serbs can see and understand. Intensified efforts by outside powers to increase their regional influence by taking advantage of societal divides in the Balkans reinforces the urgent need for SoA’s rapid assistance.
Dr. Aleksandar Ivanovic displays the lifesaving capabilities provided by the new high-resolution monitors donated to his clinic through the generosity of SoA’s supporters. These monitors improve the function of diagnostic equipment that delivers lifesaving care to over 20,000 patients from Serbia and her neighbors every year.
Faculty and students of Ivo Andric primary school in Pranjani take a break from a soccer game with US Army soldiers. SoA is donating electronic blackboards to support efforts to improve education outreach programs for rural populations in Southern Serbia. Pranjani was the sight of a heroic rescue effort that saved 500 downed US Airmen from Nazi occupiers in World War II.
In the last several months, SoA supported numerous Embassy led projects throughout Serbia, and has dedicated a program manager specifically to focus on the high volume of activity we are supporting throughout the country. SoA’s work, through our troops and diplomats, alongside Serbian civil society organizations, local governments, medical professionals, disabled care providers, youth sport clubs, and the Serbian military has resulted in ordinary Serbian citizens increasingly viewing the US as their international partner of choice in efforts to build a better future, and have expressed gratitude for the American people’s concern, care, and generosity that Spirit of America’s involvement represents.
SoA founder Jim Hake learning Serbian folk dance with clients of the Mara Center, a US government supported care provider for adults and children with disabilities in Nis, Serbia. SoA provided essential rehabilitative electronic equipment, as well as an EKG machine and computers to allow the caregivers at the Center to expand operations to better serve those who depend on their assistance.
Every SoA-supported project attracts the attention of Serbian media and builds new friendships throughout the country. The best values of America are encapsulated in every SoA project and, through your support, the Serbian people see the virtues and commitment of the American people. Each project is another step towards a more peaceful and prosperous future for our two countries, and the Balkans region.
With your support, SoA will continue these efforts to strengthen the bonds between the US and Serbia while helping to thwart the actions of those that seek to divide and disrupt rather than to unite and build a more prosperous and free future for Serbians and their neighbors throughout the Balkans.
