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2010 Archives

06-12-2010.
Traditional VIRTUS 2010 Awards Granted

Belgrade, December 4th, 2010 – On a gala ceremony held at National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia today, nominees of VIRTUS 2010 award for corporate philanthropy were announced. Traditional annual awards, granted within several different categories, serve as recognitions to the companies and enterprises which especially attributed to the development of philanthropy in the world of responsible business, by their support to social or nonprofit actions or organizations and investments in the general welfare.

VIRTUS competition is organized by Balkan Community Initiatives Fund (BCIF), with financial support from United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and in partnership with Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC). Considerable support to the realization of the award was given by VIA foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund and numerous other partners.

VIRTUS corporate philanthropy award nominees for 2010 are:

 - Eurobank EFG, main award for contribution on the national level
 - Eurobank EFG, for support to the most innovative project of the year
 - Hemofarm, for contribution to the local community
 - Banja Komerc d.o.o., for contribution in the category of small and medium-scale    enterprise
 - Ernst&Young, for long-term partnership between business and nonprofit sector
 - Broadcasting enterprise RTS, special award for media contribution

VIRTUS award has been granted every year since 2007. The fact that 49 applications were received during the scope of this year’s competition, which is the same number as in the previous round of competition, is encouraging. It is a proof that the awareness on the importance of social responsibility is not repressed due to economic crisis and cut backs in the budget for socially useful actions. In that manner it is shown that socially responsible business is a part of sustainable development of the companies, through continuous and long-term investments by which they contribute to the development of the local communities and the society in general.

„The interest of numerous new companies, as well as nongovernmental organizations which applied the companies they work with is especially important, because it says a lot about the increase of the number of inter-sector partnerships. As an example of the responsible business, by which the importance of corporate philanthropy for the development of the community is proved in the right manner, the strengthening of the synergy between the business and nonprofit sector represents for us the true incentive for the further expansion of the idea of social responsibility.”, said Miodrag Shrestha, Executive Director of Balkan Community Initiatives Fund.

Numerous guests attended this year’s award ceremony, among which were: Her Excellence Mary Burce Warlick, Ambassador of the USA in Serbia, Božidar Đelić, Vice president of Serbian Government, Snežana Lakićević, State Secretary at Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, William Infante, Resident Coordinator of the UN in Serbia and Radovan Jelašić, ex Governor of National Bank of Serbia.


Photo gallery may be viewed here.

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