ANNUAL REPORT 2012
Mar 22, 2016
Together, our dedicated staff and volunteers have achieved remarkable things in the community of Gevgelija.
We are pleased to share the Apollonia Foundation’s annual report for 2012.
This year we are especially proud to have established the first sensory
room in Gevgelija. As part of our ongoing commitment to create a
more inclusive community, we have developed new programs (with the
assistance of our Peace Corps volunteers) to assist in the socalization and
integration of special needs children into Gevgelija community life.
On the cultural front, we funded and organized over 20 events in 2012
including the 11th annual Apollonia Art Commune where artists from
Macedonia, Sweden, Serbia and Bulgaria came together to create artistic
synergy that has become the hallmark of this event.
Finally, I must thank the volunteers who continue to be the life blood of our
Foundation. Every day, dozens of volunteers roll up their sleeves to provide
the hands needed in our programs and at special events. We literally
couldn’t do it without them. I would like to thank you once again for your
generosity and support.
Ace Ristovski
Director
Message from the Director
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About UsThroughout its 29 year history, the Apollonia Group has been active in many aspects of the communal life of the city and municipality of Gevgelija.
Since 2007 the Apollonia Foundation has continued this philanthropic mission
through their support and sponsorship of programs in education, cultural
heritage, care for the environment, and projects to assist individuals, groups,
societies, and institutions to improve their activities for the betterment of the
entire community. In this way, the Foundation fulfills its pledge to serve and
improve the communities where it is active, and to take responsibility as citizens of
the world for improving these communities.
The Apollonia Foundation operates in partnership with like-minded organizations
throughout the globe. The Foundation’s efforts are overseen by a Board of
Trustees and managed by its Supervising Board president through a leadership
team drawn from scholarly, artistic, scientific, and private and nonprofit
professional disciplines.
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The Apollonia Foundation supports work that expands opportunity and strengthens resilience to social, economic, health and environmental challenges—affirming its philanthropic mission since 2007 to promote the well-being of the commune of Gevgelija in the Republic of Macedonia.
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VisionThe Foundation’s purpose is to assist individuals, groups, and institutions to improve their activities for the betterment of the entire community by supporting and sponsoring initiatives in education, cultural heritage, and care for the environment in these settings.
The Apollonia Foundation supports and sponsors education, cultural heritage,
care for the environment, and projects to assist individuals, groups, societies, and
institutions to improve their activities for the betterment of the entire community.
In this way, the Foundation fulfills its pledge to serve and improve the communities
where it is active, and to take responsibility as citizens of the world for improving
these communities.
&Mission
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Management&Team
The Apollonia Foundation is a collection of passionate people working together to fulfill our mission.
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StaffAce Ristovski Director
Snezana SaramandovaGrant Project Manager
Natalija PavlovaNature Day Coordinator
Anita GoshevskaSpecial Needs Social Worker
Peace Corps VolunteerJennifer UptonVolunteer for Capacity Building
Supervising BoardBiljana KlingSupervising Board Director
Boris Trajkovski Member
Stefan KireMember
Board of DirectorsMaria KlingBoard President
Milica StojanovaBoard Member-- Representative for Education and Youth
Jordan JanevBoard Member - Representative for Culture - Fine Arts
Lazar NikolovBoard Member - Representative for The Environment
Gjorgi UlisevBoard Member - Representative for Culture - Music
Mitko KrdzevBoard Member - Representative for Health
Aleksandra KaevaBoard Member- Representative for Culture - Literature
Management & Team
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CultureThe Foundation believes that cultural heritage forms our individual, local, and national identities; and should be respected and celebrated.
The Foundation’s cultural activities focus on the areas of music, literature, art, theater,
and archeology. Specific support includes official sponsorship of the Skopje Jazz Festival
(15 years); organizing more than 200 concerts of classical music featuring artists from
Macedonia and abroad in the Hotel Apollonia as part of the Musical Moments project
(15 years); sponsoring the activities of local folklore groups that preserve the tradition
of ethnic musical folklore; funding the production of music CDs of classical music
performers; sponsoring competitions for young musicians, and local musical activities.
In the field of literature, the Foundation organizes and hosts the Literature Nights
series, featuring writers and poets from Macedonia and abroad; and funds, edits, and
publishes poetry books, essays, and history books.
Additionally, for 11 years, the Apollonia Art Commune has welcomed artists from
Macedonia and abroad. The Foundation has also funded, co-organized the Osten Art
Commune in Gevgelija and biennial of awarded artists. The Foundation has funded
theater performances of the OFF group and is a strategic partner of the Public Museum
of Gevgelija, funding the Museum’s activities at Vardar Hill, a famous archeological site
on the outskirts of Gevgelija.
Art
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Guided by the belief that quality of life is improved through participation in all forms of The Arts, the Apollonia Foundation supported a full program of cultural events in 2012.
International Art Commune 2012
The Apollonia Foundation funded and organized the 11th Annual International
Art Commune Apollonia 2012, which included artists from Macedonia, Sweden,
Serbia and Bulgaria. Domestic artists participating were academic Vasko Taškovski
from Skopje, Nice Vasilev from Strumica, Vladimir Temkov, Cvetanka Temkova,
Marija Dičovska and local artists from the Association of Artists from Gevgelija -
Pero Kovancaliev and Goran Jovanov. International guests of this year’s 11th Art
Commune were artists Pontus Ersgard from Sweden, Velizar Zahariev from sister
city of Gevgelija Sevlievo, Bulgaria and photographer Rajko Karisič from Serbia.
Achievements
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Gevgelija Musical Moments
The Foundation continues it’s commitment to the funding of the musical arts with
performances in Gevgelija through the Gevgelija Musical Moments events. In 2012
there were seven performances of classical music, divided into two movements:
“Gevgelija Spring” and “Gevgelija Autumn.”
Concert Darko Bageski - classical guitar
Concert in honor of St. Kiril and Methodius,
Concert on the occasion of World Teachers’ Day and
New Year’s Eve concert -all performed from student from the class of Prof.
Ljubica Ulisheva
Piano concert Elena Atanasovska - Ivanovska
New Year’s concert with the class of Prof. Oleg Kondratenko
Music
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Gevgelija 2012
In June the Foundation funded and organized an international competition of
young pianists, Europe - “Gevgelija 2012” which was held over three days.
A record number of 182 young pianists from Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia
attended. Competitors were divided into six age groups and performed their own
programs. The international jury, which consisted of Milka Miteva, a member
of the Academy of Science and Art of Bulgaria, Natalija Tomic professor at the
Department of Music in Kragujevac, Serbia, Milica Shperovik – Ribarski and
Katerina Gelebeseva, professors in the Faculty of Music in Skopje.
Other activities
Other activities included; hosting the cultural event “Evening of French Poetry,”
recitation and quiz competitions organized by the high school Josif Josifovski ,
promotion of the book “Miravci up to today”, and funding to support the printing of
three expert economic books by Dr. Marija Magdinčeva šopova.
Achievements
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The Foundation believes that education is the key to providing a better future, and has focused on activities that provide the means for community access to education programs and training and to participate in education programs about preserving the environment.
These activities have taken the form of developing the Nature Day program to
teach children about the environment and how to preserve it, by providing financial
assistance for capital improvements to schools, classroom equipment, and learning
and teaching aids; and to assist students in their studies. Additionally, the Foundation
sponsors cultural activities that support education such as the production of theater
shows, art exhibitions, and poetry book publishing. Finally, the Foundation supports
specific ongoing projects linked to the socialization of children with special needs,
particularly in outdoor activities related to the environment.
EnvironmentEducation
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Nature Day Program 2012
Each weekend in 2012 the Foundation programmed activities, projects, and
excursions in the environmental education program Nature Day in which children
from Gevgelija and other municipalities participated. Some of the activities
organized were: the organization of clean-up events; climbing the top of Kozuf
mountain, visit to “Bliznak-com” (Waste Company) to learn about recycling;
planting flowers; water testing of the Vardar River; visits of local factories and
farms. Nature Day also joined in the environmental activity “Tree Day - Plant Your
Future”, which is organized twice a year with more than two dozen children as
participants. This year we took part in the global action for waste collection and
cleaning dumps entitled “Let’s Do It World!” and together with the Mountain club
“Kozuf”, we cleaned an illegal landfill on the picnic spot “Dinkut”.
Achievements
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Macedonia Clean and Green
Apollonia Foundation hosted and co-organized the environmental forum with NGO
Let’s Do It Macedonia and Peace Corps Macedonia, titled “Macedonia Clean and Green”.
The conference had speakers from the Regional Environmental Center, JP “Komunalec”
from Prilep, and “Let’s Do It Macedonia”. Each group provided unique perspectives on
various environmental issues facing the country. Forty representatives from more than
thirty different organizations and municipalities attended the forum.
ActivitiesOther
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Ilindenski DenoviIllenden Days
The Foundation funded the cultural
association Raspeani Gevgelicani to
allow their participation in the festival
of traditional songs and dance in Bitola
and Radoviš.
BOSH FESTIVAL 2012
For the fourth consecutive year, the
Foundation sponsored the three-
day multimedia art festival BOSH
2012. BOSH FESTIVAL is a multimedia
platform that celebrates creative
expressionism in an urban context.
Exhibitions
On the premises of the Apollonia Hotel the Foundation funded four art exhibitions:
• Exhibition of Georgi Bojinov;
• Exhibition of Momcilo Avramovski;
• Exhibition of State Archive of the Republic of Macedonia;
• Exhibition of works from the 11th International Art Colony “Apollonia 2012”.
Achievements
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The Foundation believes that access to good health care should be universal and has funded specific project to achieve this goal. Past achievements have included: the purchase of an air conditioning system for the
X- ray Department of Gevgelija Hospital; the purchase of extensive equipment for
the Department for Eye Diseases (removing the strabismus problem in children) of
Gevgelija Hospital; funding seminar visits within the country and abroad for the further
education of doctors; financing medical treatments, performed both locally and abroad,
for many individuals; and organizing the Apollonia Blood Donation Day twice a year.
In the area of the advancement of the social welfare of the community, the Apollonia
Foundation has supported several programs to assist in the socialization and
integration of Special Needs Children into the community of Gevgelija.
HealthCommunity
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Continuing its commitment to good health for the people in Gevgelija, the Apollonia Foun-dation continued with the organization of the “Apollonia Blood Donation Day” which is held twice a year
Blood Donation Day 2012
In the spirit of developing community spirit and fostering the ideals of giving
and volunteerism, the Apollonia Foundation organizes a biannual blood drive
called Apollonia Blood Donation Day, in which over 60 blood units are collected.
The Apollonia Hotel donates space and the transfusion team in of Gevgelija,
in cooperation with the Red Cross Gevgelija draws blood from donors in the
community.
Achievements
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Socialization of Children with Special Needs
In addition to the support received from Korona International, the Apollonia Foundation
received a partner grant from the NATO Charity Bazaar in Brussels to support the project:
David VanDerWege - Socialization of Children with Special Educational Needs . This grant
allows the Gevgelija community’s special needs children to participate in the Foundation’s
environmental education program Nature Day.
Within this project the following activities were realized:
• A lecture by special educators Mimi Batandzhieva and Amy Roth for staff and
volunteers in order to better understand the needs of children with special needs;
• Twenty outdoor activities in the Nature Day program which included local primary
school children with special needs and young adults with moderate and severe
developmental disabilities in partnership with the Daily Center of Gevgelija for people
with special needs;
• A one-day training was held by occupational therapist Elizabeth Shaffer in the area of
sensory integration entitled “Interventions to increase developmental skills” This was
attended by 86 people such as; representatives of seven different institutions from
neighboring municipalities, parents of children with special needs, teachers, students,
and the unemployed.
Inclusion
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Sensory Room Opens in Gevgelija
We were very proud to announce the opening of the first sensory room in Gevgelija
for children with special needs. The sensory room is designed to assist in the
development of the children’s motor skills, visual stimulation, auditory relaxation,
and tactile reassurance. Construction and equipping of the sensory room was a
joint action of; the Apollonia Foundation with a generous donation from Korona
International, the Primary School Vlado Kantardziev , sensory room, Peace Corps
Macedonia volunteers David and Kathy VanDerWege, a grant from Peace Corps
Macedonia funded by USAID, and a donation from the NATO Charity Bazaar.
New Year’s Charity Market Fundraiser
The 5th Annual Charity Children Workshop produced Christmas cards ,decorations,
clay figures, and exhibited artwork and crafts, created by children participating
in the Nature Day program The sale of crafts and handmade jewelry as well as
homemade cakes donated by parents raised 29,500 denars to be donated to the
project “David VanDerWege - Socialization of Children with Special Educational
Needs” for 2013.
Achievements
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FinancialsThe Apollonia Foundation receives annual funding from a grant generously provided by Korona International which operates the Apollonia Group of companies. The Foundation also receives support from grants and donations from like-minded individuals and agencies.
Over250
programmed events 3
new grants
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Financials
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS Denars Euros
REVENUE AND GAINS
Contributions and other income 63,576
Grants received 105,644
Korona International 430,522
Interest income 55 6.213
Total revenues and gains 599,797 9,752
EXPENSES
Grants and donations given 194,307
Direct charitable expenses
Administrative expenses 285,709
Total expenses and losses 480,016 7,805
Change in net assets 119,781
TOTAL ASSETS BEGINNING OF YEAR 4,434 72
TOTAL ASSETS END OF YEAR 124,216
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Statement of Activities
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GraphicCharts
As the work of the Foundation has expanded to include program development and operational responsibilities for the causes they support, the Foundation now receives support from various agencies and through partnerships with like-minded institutions and foundations. We hope in the future to increase this funding in order to further expand our programs.
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Graphic Charts
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Musical Moments Nature Day Art Commune Other Cultural Special Needs Programs
4% 2%
22%
4%
9% 4%
38%
3%
5%
7%
Direct Admin Cost
Direct Costs
Korona International 430,522.00 .
72%
Bank interest rate 55.00 .
0%
Ministry of Culture Funding 20,000.00 .
3%
Recycling 3,526.00 .
1%
NATO Charity Bazaar Grant 85,644.50 .
14%
Donation from Vlado Ralev 30,550.00 .
5%
Donation from Christmas Charity Event
29,500.00 . 5%
Where the money comes from.The chart aboves shows the sources in revenue from donations, grants, fundraising events,
and other gifts.
Where the money goes.This chart shows how the money was spent and how much of the money was used to hire
staff directly involved in program services. Administrative services costs were less then 2
percent.
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Apollonia Foundation – GevgelijaAddress “Gevgeliski Partizanski Odred 1” 1480 Gevgelija, MacedoniaPhone: +389 (0)34 211 911e-mail: [email protected]