Trag Foundation Announces the Winners of the Fourteenth Virtus Award for Philanthropy
Belgrade, May 13, 2021 – For the fourteenth time in a row, the Trag Foundation presented the VIRTUS Award for Philanthropy to companies, small and medium enterprises and individuals who performed good deeds, initiated and supported philanthropic initiatives during the previous year and thus contributed to the development of communities in which they live and operate, as well as reducing the consequences of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The VIRTUS Award for 2020 was awarded with the financial support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) within the Framework for Giving project, the European Union, the Balkan Trust for Democracy, the Balkan Civil Society Development Network and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.
The winner of the Main Award for the contribution on the national level is the company MK Group LTD for donations totalling more than 1 million Euros, intended for the purchase of medical equipment for health institutions, humanitarian food packages for socially disadvantaged citizens, transportation of children in need of medical treatment abroad, support for the children without parental care and numerous cultural institutions and organizations. Company eFront LTD from Belgrade (a part of BlackRock) received the Award for the contribution to the local community in which the company operates, while the Award for long-term partnership between business and non-profit sector was given to Raiffeisen Bank JSC Belgrade.
CCS Solutions LTD, a micro-enterprise from Belgrade won the Award for small and medium enterprises, while the Award for individual contribution to philanthropy was presented to Aleksandar Alek Kavčić from Belgrade, inventor and professor at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States of America, for his contribution to the advancement of the primary and secondary education in Serbia.
The winners of Special Awards are: Delta Holding from Belgrade for the most innovative project, IKEA Serbia LTD for contribution to gender equality, as well as the Mihajlović System LTD from Paraćin, for long-term contribution to the local community in which the company operates. Mirjana Mutuc, an accountant from Novi Sad, received an Award for the personal contribution to poverty reduction, while Selma Hasić Manić and Nerma Zekić Hoćanin from Novi Pazar won the Award for young philanthropists.
The VIRTUS Award for Philanthropy was established in 2007, with the aim of recognizing and supporting representatives of the business sector, citizens, whose strategic and long-term philanthropic activities contribute to the development of the communities in which they live and operate. As philanthropy has a special significance in times of great crises, this time the Trag Foundation wanted to highlight those who were engaged in addressing the consequences of the pandemic in their communities, as well as those who continued to promote positive values in the society.