Apollonia Foundation Annual Report 2012

ANNUALREPORT

2012

04 About us06 Vision & Mission

08 Management & Team

10 Achievements22 Financials

24 Charts

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

4 | 13Annual Report 2012 | Apollonia Foundation

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.

| 13Annual Report 2012 | Apollonia Foundation

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


WORKOUR

BEGINS AT

HOME

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Management&Team

The Apollonia Foundation is a collection of passionate people working together to fulfill our mission.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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.


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]

Apollonia Foundation Annual Report 2012

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