Holiday Fund Drive for Macedonian Children Interview with Thomas
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www.umdiaspora.org UMD Voice Holiday Fund Drive Somerset Hills Interview with For Macedonian YMCA Reaches Thomas Bitove Children Across the Globe United Macedonian Diaspora Publication, Volume II, Summer Edition - 2008 UMD Voice Advertising Rates Back Cover (full) - $500 Inside cover (full) - $450 Any inside full page - $350 Half page (vert/horiz) - $200 Quarter page (vert/horiz) - $130 For more details, please contact us: United Macedonian Diaspora 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, 6th Floor Washington, D.C. 20004 (202) 756-2244 [email protected] All advertising is subject to approval by UMD Voice’s editorial staff, which reserves the right to refuse or cancel any advertisement at any time. UMD Voice InUMD this issue... Voice 5 Australian Macedonians Say It Loud UMD Voice Macedonians display unity in Melbourne. 6 Holiday Fund Drive For Macedonia UMD’s fund drive was in high gear during the Advertising Rates Holidays! UMD Voice 7 Florida’s Lou Vlasho 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue, 5 Lou becomes Honorary Consul of Florida. NW, 6th Floor Washington, D.C. 20004 8 War-time Lessons Phone: (202) 756-2244 Toni is not your average civics teacher... Fax: (202) 756-7323 [email protected] 9 Interview with Dr. Srgjan Kerim [email protected] The UN’s 62nd General Assembly President http://www.umdiaspora.org gives us some insight into his role. Editor 13 New Jersey’s Slavko Madzarov Alexander Krstevski Back Cover (full) - $500 This local businessman is on top of the world! [email protected] Inside cover (full) - 6 $450 14 AMSUT Pursues Big Objectives Assistant Editor Any inside full page - $350 Club reaches for the stars in 2008. Mark Branov Half page (vert/horiz) - $200 14 Community Visits Contributors Quarter page (vert/horiz) - $130 A working visit to the Macedonian Damjan Arsovski communities in Detroit and Windsor. Dijana Despodova-Pajkovski Emil Ivanovski 15 The Lost Generation of Child Refugees Anthony Laskovski Marking the 60th anniversary. Stojan Nikolov For more details, please contact us: Gorgi Popstefanov 16 Interview with Thomas Bitove Ljupco Stankovski 9 On charity, and being Macedonian. United Macedonian Diaspora Jeffrey Stavroff 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, 6th Floor 17 Macedonian-American Charity Layout and Design Washington, D.C. 20004 How Macedonians in Illinois are giving back. Nick Saveski/Delo Logic Arts 18 Somerset Hills YMCA... (202) 756-2244 [email protected] Working together for youth. Any opinions or views expressed in articles or 19 Macedonian in New York Honored... other pieces appearing in About George Tomov ‘s biography UMD Voice are those of the author alone and are not All advertising is subject to approval by UMD Voice’s editorial staff, 17 20 UMD Holds Grassroots Event necessarily those of UMD; which reserves the right to refuse or cancel any advertisement at any time. Thought-provoking discussion of issues. the appearance of any such opinions or views in UMD 21 Gorsevski to Bring Geological Expertise Voice is not and should A Fulbright Scholar comes home... not be considered to be an endorsement by or approval 22 33rd Annual Convention of the same by UMD. A new direction for the future! 21 Summer 2008 UMD Voice Letter fromUMD the President Voice Welcome to our new magazine UMD Voice! Dear Reader, The first issue ofUMD Quarterly was downloaded from our website over 16,000 times since its release! We are Founded in 2004, United thrilled by the positive response from our members and Macedonian Diaspora (UMD) readers. On behalf of the Board of Directors, allow me to is an international non- introduce UMD Voice. This is one of our organization’s most governmental organization significant tools and we are confident that it is destined to addressing the interests and become the premier publication in the global Macedonian Diaspora. needs of Macedonians and Macedonian communities In this issue, you can read about UMD’s important and necessary work in Washington, throughout the world. D.C., and throughout the world. During the past few months, UMD representatives visited major Diaspora communities in the United States, Australia, and Canada, With headquarters in learning about the needs of Macedonians throughout the world. The issues facing Washington, D.C., UMD has our people are wide-ranging, from education to immigration, from the “name issue” representatives serving to civil rights, and from territorial and regional security to NATO and EU membership. Macedonian communities No matter the challenge, UMD is at the forefront of it all – thanks to you. around the world, including Berlin, Brussels, Canberra, The recent Greek veto of Macedonia’s Euro-Atlantic integration was a disgrace to London, Los Angeles, the ideals that the Euro-Atlantic community was built on. However, this has not Melbourne, New York, Paris, discouraged us. In fact, it has united Macedonians throughout the world against Stuttgart, Sydney, Toronto, the actions of the Greek regime. The Macedonian attitude is one of calm resistance and Vienna. to Greek oppression, and despite all of the adversity it has faced, the Republic of Macedonia is a beacon of light in the Balkans -- a role model for Southeastern UMD is a 501 (c) (3) charitable Europe. organization. UMD is raising funds to establish a more solid base in Washington, D.C. and to hire Board a full-time staff. The support we received during our fall fundraising drive was fantastic, and we opened a small office last month in downtown Washington, D.C. Metodija A. Koloski Our Board has outlined a $200,000 target goal for this year, and we are planning UMD President events and activities in the United States, Australia, Canada, and Europe; we invite you to get involved and participate in a UMD event and activity near you. Aleksandar Mitreski Vice President Our friendships and working relationships are growing throughout the global policymaking community. UMD represents the future of the global Macedonian Michael A. Sarafin Diaspora – progressive, moderate, hard working, professional, and dedicated. Secretary Help us move the Macedonian cause forward by supporting UMD, and please enjoy Denis Manevski this issue of UMD Voice. Treasurer Sincerely, Ordan Andreevski Director of Australian Operations Chris M. Purdef Igor Zvezdakoski Marina Veljanovska Director Metodija “Meto” A. Koloski Gorgi Popstefanov President International Policy & Diplomacy Fellow Summer 2008 UMD Voice Australian Macedonians Say It Loud: “Macedonia, Macedonians, Forever” By Ordan Andreevski, Ljupco Stankovski, and Igor Zvezdakoski Macedonia, now recognized team of volunteers. In less than a under its constitutional name month, very diverse groups were by 124 countries, including organized using the latest techniques the U.S., China, Russia, the of project management, with special UK, and Canada. working groups focused on Media Relations, Government Relations, T i t l e d “ M a c e d o n i a , Community Relations, Internet and Macedonians, Forever,” Direct Communication, Fundraising, the event in downtown and Merchandizing. Melbourne gave loud and Photos courtesy of: MacedonianCommunity.com; Australian Macedonian Weekly Photos courtesy of: MacedonianCommunity.com; clear support for the right UMD assisted in planning, operations, of the Macedonians to their printing and distribution of biblical and constitutional promotional flyers, program design, name, their unique culture, web communications, speech writing language and identity. and media relations. UMD also created a Media Alert, a Media Briefing Kit Organizers also called and a Media Release, which were sent on the UN, the EU and to all major press and broadcast media nations such as Australia outlets across Australia, as well as to to protect the rights of all Federal Members of Parliament and Macedonians, including the EU diplomatic missions in Canberra. ethnic Macedonian minority in Greece, which has been The event successfully drew media oppressed since the Treaty of attention in Australia, Macedonia, Bucharest of 1913. Canada and the U.S., and demonstrated the peaceful Macedonian spirit, and The passion for this protest how it can be harnessed for positive came at a critical time, just change and social justice. as Greece and it s decreasi ng n u m b e r o f s u p p o r t e r s m a n a g e d t o i l l e g a l l y ve t o UMD plays key role in Macedonia’s entry into NATO. Talks on European peaceful Melbourne rally integration are also stalled; both types of interference More than 20,000-strong Australian having been expressly Macedonians gathered in a massive forbidden by international show of unity on the steps of Victoria’s treaties that Greece parliament in Melbourne to show their signed, and taking Athens’ support for Macedonia. international diplomatic reputation to an all-new Protesters loudly appealed to the low. Rudd Government to discontinue Australia’s official use of the term Local police praised the “former Yugoslav” and stand up for organizers for a peaceful Macedonian human rights and self- rally without incident, determination. Australia remains one thanks in part to the of the few notable exceptions to a foresight of the Organizing global wave of diplomatic support for Committee and a large Summer 2008 UMD Voice Photos: UMD Staff Holiday Fund Drive Benefits Children, Homeless, and Elderly in Macedonia By Marina Veljanovska Through a heartwarming display of long-term care for orphans and children holiday giving, UMD’s drive to support who can no longer grow up with their Macedonia’s less fortunate exceeded biological families. fundraising expectations, providing them with a much needed gift from the A ten-day supply of fresh milk was Diaspora. The outpouring of generosity donated to the Home for Babies and benefited more people than initially Toddlers in Bitola for the orphaned expected, and donations were made to children in their care, and food was benefit less fortunate children, homeless, donated to the public kitchen at St.