To our great satisfaction, plenty of actors, singers, and other public persons joined the campaign, as well as mom and dad influencers who share the values of our Foundation and our founders. The campaign was first supported by the world-renowned violinist and Nis native Nemanja Radulovic. Subsequently, the campaign was joined by Sloboda and Dragana Micalovic, Nina Jankovic, Andrija Milosevic, Jelena Gavrilovic, Andrej Maricic, Lena Kovacevic, Andrej Josifovski, Andjelka Prpic, Sergej Cetkovic, Marina Cosic, Ana Stajdohar, Mariana Tabakovic, Srdjan Timarov, Strahinja Calovic, Dolores Milosev Erdeg, and Marija Hudolin, to name but a few.

Danina, mom, dad, and big sister joined the Season of giving and inspired our community to support the campaign.

Season of giving donors who deeply believe in our mission and the sincere intentions of our founders

The success of the Season of Giving is not only reflected in the funds raised, but also in the expansion of a community that believes in the power of early education.

Along with the donations, we received a handful of warm comments that additionally motivated our team to continue to strive towards the goal. Here are some of them:

Kristin McMillan: Nis is the home city of my husband, and all his family reside there. I have grown to love the city, and we both wish to help children there. We’re so grateful for all you do to help children across Serbia, and of course this is a very special fundraiser for us personally.

Love at first sight: Danina and Neda with members of the NDF Team.

Vesna Vrljic: From year to year, Novak continues to impress me as a tennis player, but above all as a wonderful human being. Together with Jelena and the Foundation, he fulfills the wishes of many children and makes me believe that there is still good in this world. Keep up the great work!

Mirjana Mudrinic: I fell in love with tennis because of my late father Milan. He was a big fan of Novak and over time he passed on to me the respect for Novak as an athlete, but above all as a human being. My father and I became incredibly close watching every Novak’s match from 2003 until the moment he became the greatest of all time. As a teacher, I firmly believe that access to early childhood education is not only the key to success, but also the basic human right of every child. My father always believed in the importance of quality education and encouraged me to educate myself as much as possible. Because of this, I think there is no better way to repay him for everything he has done for me. I wish the Foundation every success and, of course – let’s go Nole!  

Thanks to the Season of giving, Hana and Matija will soon be starting their preschool adventure.

Noriko Nihira: Serbia is far from Japan, but   I have a strong affinity for Serbia because of Novak. I’m happy if I can help children from Nis. Love from Japan.

Marija Eisenbart: This is for some new kids from my Nis! To the Foundation that does great things, we send a bunch of warm hugs! We are mom and dad with two kids.    

Anonymous donor: If Novak can inspire us all this much then I know this money will help him do so with even bigger impact for these kids. And I know he will have selected a good team of people to manage the foundation as we can see from the support provided by the people he has with him. Much love from Switzerland!

After the most successful Gifting Season so far, we have set the bar even higher. Thank you for trusting us this year again and for opening your hearts to children’s dreams. Together we have beautified the future of Nis, the little ones and their families!

The post The Power of Unity during Our Most Successful Season of Giving appeared first on Novak Djokovic Foundation.

To our great satisfaction, plenty of actors, singers, and other public persons joined the campaign, as well as mom and dad influencers who share the values of our Foundation and our founders. The campaign was first supported by the world-renowned violinist and Nis native Nemanja Radulovic. Subsequently, the campaign was joined by Sloboda and Dragana Micalovic, Nina Jankovic, Andrija Milosevic, Jelena Gavrilovic, Andrej Maricic, Lena Kovacevic, Andrej Josifovski, Andjelka Prpic, Sergej Cetkovic, Marina Cosic, Ana Stajdohar, Mariana Tabakovic, Srdjan Timarov, Strahinja Calovic, Dolores Milosev Erdeg, and Marija Hudolin, to name but a few.

Danina, mom, dad, and big sister joined the Season of giving and inspired our community to support the campaign.

Season of giving donors who deeply believe in our mission and the sincere intentions of our founders

The success of the Season of Giving is not only reflected in the funds raised, but also in the expansion of a community that believes in the power of early education.

Along with the donations, we received a handful of warm comments that additionally motivated our team to continue to strive towards the goal. Here are some of them:

Kristin McMillan: Nis is the home city of my husband, and all his family reside there. I have grown to love the city, and we both wish to help children there. We’re so grateful for all you do to help children across Serbia, and of course this is a very special fundraiser for us personally.

Love at first sight: Danina and Neda with members of the NDF Team.

Vesna Vrljic: From year to year, Novak continues to impress me as a tennis player, but above all as a wonderful human being. Together with Jelena and the Foundation, he fulfills the wishes of many children and makes me believe that there is still good in this world. Keep up the great work!

Mirjana Mudrinic: I fell in love with tennis because of my late father Milan. He was a big fan of Novak and over time he passed on to me the respect for Novak as an athlete, but above all as a human being. My father and I became incredibly close watching every Novak’s match from 2003 until the moment he became the greatest of all time. As a teacher, I firmly believe that access to early childhood education is not only the key to success, but also the basic human right of every child. My father always believed in the importance of quality education and encouraged me to educate myself as much as possible. Because of this, I think there is no better way to repay him for everything he has done for me. I wish the Foundation every success and, of course – let’s go Nole!  

Thanks to the Season of giving, Hana and Matija will soon be starting their preschool adventure.

Noriko Nihira: Serbia is far from Japan, but   I have a strong affinity for Serbia because of Novak. I’m happy if I can help children from Nis. Love from Japan.

Marija Eisenbart: This is for some new kids from my Nis! To the Foundation that does great things, we send a bunch of warm hugs! We are mom and dad with two kids.    

Anonymous donor: If Novak can inspire us all this much then I know this money will help him do so with even bigger impact for these kids. And I know he will have selected a good team of people to manage the foundation as we can see from the support provided by the people he has with him. Much love from Switzerland!

After the most successful Gifting Season so far, we have set the bar even higher. Thank you for trusting us this year again and for opening your hearts to children’s dreams. Together we have beautified the future of Nis, the little ones and their families!

The post The Power of Unity during Our Most Successful Season of Giving appeared first on Novak Djokovic Foundation.

As you already know very well, during the Season of Giving we traditionally organize a fundraiser which spreads the awareness about the importance of early childhood education and intends to give access to preschool to as many children as possible, aligned with the Foundation’s mission. This year, the story of little Danina, Neda, and their peers has traveled all over the world and resulted in strong support from every corner of the earth. The end result – we will help 100 kiddos to preschool, which will ensure development in a safe and stimulating environment, playing with their new friends. Thus, we have taken another step forward towards our mission to enable every child in Serbia to attend early years programs by 2030.  

Season of Giving 2021: Hana and Matija.

Our founders, Novak and Jelena Djokovic, inspired by the gesture of all those who joined the campaign, decided to double the collected amount with their personal funds, which will make 346,315 euros available for the opening of the new preschool in Nis in the coming period. Since this amount far exceeds our fundraising goal, the remainder of funds collected will be forwarded to other projects as well. We have thus once again shown how one’s little act of kindness can make a big difference.

Brighter future for everyone

Medijana municipality spreads over the city center, smallest by size yet by far the most populated in Nis. It is precisely in this municipality that large numbers of children don’t have access to preschool.  

Neighbors and now classmates-to-be: Neda and Vukasin.

Nis is the third most populated city in Serbia and the biggest cultural and educational center south of Belgrade. Nevertheless, all the perks that the city has to offer are not enough to keep the young people and their families, who are increasingly moving to bigger cities or abroad. Many outstanding persons grew up in the city on the Nisava river, from Emperor Constantine the Great to beloved poets Branko Miljkovic and Dusko Radovic, and the legendary Dragan Stojkovic Piksi. Who knows, perhaps some of the 100 children waiting for new preschool will spread their wings later in life and reach the heights of their fellow citizens. Children’s stay in kindergarten will enable their parents to plan their personal and professional duties more thoroughly, which in the long run means more financial stability and a more meaningful future.  

The new preschool will have four study rooms and 454 square meters.  

<3 Little ones from “Bambi” preschool are getting new neighbors – 100 new friends, just 100 meters away! In order to bring them even closer, new preschool’s name will be “Lane” (fawn).   <3

Thanks to the most successful Season of Giving so far, waiting lists for preschool enrollment in Nis will be further diminished. In this way, we have set the bar even higher. Thank you for trusting us by opening your hearts and helping us fulfill children’s dreams, yet again! The future of these 100 little children and their families looks much brighter now!

The post Fundraising Goal Exceeded Five Times = Our Most Successful Season of Giving Ever appeared first on Novak Djokovic Foundation.

As you already know very well, during the Season of Giving we traditionally organize a fundraiser which spreads the awareness about the importance of early childhood education and intends to give access to preschool to as many children as possible, aligned with the Foundation’s mission. This year, the story of little Danina, Neda, and their peers has traveled all over the world and resulted in strong support from every corner of the earth. The end result – we will help 100 kiddos to preschool, which will ensure development in a safe and stimulating environment, playing with their new friends. Thus, we have taken another step forward towards our mission to enable every child in Serbia to attend early years programs by 2030.  

Season of Giving 2021: Hana and Matija.

Our founders, Novak and Jelena Djokovic, inspired by the gesture of all those who joined the campaign, decided to double the collected amount with their personal funds, which will make 346,315 euros available for the opening of the new preschool in Nis in the coming period. Since this amount far exceeds our fundraising goal, the remainder of funds collected will be forwarded to other projects as well. We have thus once again shown how one’s little act of kindness can make a big difference.

Brighter future for everyone

Medijana municipality spreads over the city center, smallest by size yet by far the most populated in Nis. It is precisely in this municipality that large numbers of children don’t have access to preschool.  

Neighbors and now classmates-to-be: Neda and Vukasin.

Nis is the third most populated city in Serbia and the biggest cultural and educational center south of Belgrade. Nevertheless, all the perks that the city has to offer are not enough to keep the young people and their families, who are increasingly moving to bigger cities or abroad. Many outstanding persons grew up in the city on the Nisava river, from Emperor Constantine the Great to beloved poets Branko Miljkovic and Dusko Radovic, and the legendary Dragan Stojkovic Piksi. Who knows, perhaps some of the 100 children waiting for new preschool will spread their wings later in life and reach the heights of their fellow citizens. Children’s stay in kindergarten will enable their parents to plan their personal and professional duties more thoroughly, which in the long run means more financial stability and a more meaningful future.  

The new preschool will have four study rooms and 454 square meters.  

<3 Little ones from “Bambi” preschool are getting new neighbors – 100 new friends, just 100 meters away! In order to bring them even closer, new preschool’s name will be “Lane” (fawn).   <3

Thanks to the most successful Season of Giving so far, waiting lists for preschool enrollment in Nis will be further diminished. In this way, we have set the bar even higher. Thank you for trusting us by opening your hearts and helping us fulfill children’s dreams, yet again! The future of these 100 little children and their families looks much brighter now!

The post Fundraising Goal Exceeded Five Times = Our Most Successful Season of Giving Ever appeared first on Novak Djokovic Foundation.

• What inspires you to support our work daily?

Djokovic and children! I could not have asked for a better alignment of my Djokovic fandom and the mission of the Novak Djokovic Foundation, which is all about early childhood development and early childhood education. Children are the best! ECE research and grants management have been my world of work for nearly 20 years now. I have two (young) grown children of my own, son is a lawyer, and daughter is a pediatrician.

“I have so much confidence in the work and vision of Team NDF including Jelena and Novak, that I would support any of the efforts and projects.” – Padma has already supported this Season of Giving. Let’s join her and enlighten the future of 100 children!

• Why is investing in early childhood education important to you?

I have spent so much time visiting preschools in Duval County, Florida, where I live, and in some of the communities across the US, as part of my work. I cannot stress enough how important it is to give children the best foundation possible. Investing in children = investing in the future.

It is also based on research, and all of the research points to the importance of investment in early childhood education. The majority of brain development happens in the early years. ECE is so important for the emotional, intellectual, and social development of children. Dr. James Heckman, Nobel Laureate in Economics and a Professor at the University of Chicago, through his research, has shown that $1 invested in high-quality early childhood education, has a return of over $7 to society, and leads to better school readiness, reduced poverty, skilled workforce, greater self-sufficiency, and better outcomes for the children and families overall.

• Do you think that people, especially the young, are aware of the benefits of early years?

Parents/caregivers are children’s first teachers. Some of the young families are aware of the importance but I would say many of them are not aware of how significantly important the early years are. Society as a whole is only now gradually realizing the benefits of investing in the early years of childhood and early brain development.

Danina and Neda are among 1000 children in Nis who do not have access to preschool education. Opening another school will help 100 of them. This Season of Giving, we go by #OneWishForNis !

NDF’s program, “Support Not Perfection” is a perfect one to bridge the gap between what the parents know and what they need to know and understand, without feeling overwhelmed. Parenting does not come with a playbook! The most important thing that parents/caregivers need to know is that with unconditional love and patience so much can be accomplished.

• Did you go to kindergarten or preschool and what memories do you cherish from that period?

I went to preschool “millions of years” ago in Chennai, India. I do not remember anything and the only fond memories are what my Mom shared with me from time to time. I do know which preschool I attended – it is still there today! I had the best parents who believed strongly that education is the greatest equalizer and with a strong work ethic and good education, we can make things happen.

• Share with us your life story – our readers want to know more about you!

I was born and raised in Chennai, a large metropolitan city in South India. My parents taught us the value of hard work and determination – am forever grateful for all that they did for my siblings and me. I moved to the US (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) in 1985 after I got married. I became a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) in Pennsylvania. When I started volunteering at my kids’ school, I absolutely fell in love with teaching. I decided to quit being a CPA, and went to graduate school, got my Masters in Education, and taught elementary grades for about 4 years. It started my journey into the world of non-profit organizations especially those with a mission to serve children and families.

“My parents taught us the value of hard work and determination – am forever grateful for all that they did for my siblings and me.” – Join Padma in our Season of Giving campaign and help 100 children in Serbia go to preschool!

We moved to Florida in 2001 and I started working for a large non-profit which has a singular focus of serving children and families with an emphasis on early childhood education. The most blissful job ever! I straddled the world of grants management and program implementation/research – it is just perfect since it has allowed me to utilize my love for numbers and my love of program implementation / ECE research.

• How did you come to be so generous and devoted to humanitarian work?

I would credit my parents for having instilled the importance of giving back to the community and they were so fond of children – who isn’t? I would love to do more. What I am doing is a tiny drop in the ocean compared to how much incredible humanitarian work is being done by so many across the world, ECE Champions are there within each community just like all the dedicated individuals of Team NDF.

• What it means to you, as someone who is not from Serbia nor our region, to support the development of our small community?

When anyone goes to the home page of NDF, the first thing he/she will see are the words “Every Child Matters.” This is so universal and is a powerful statement.

Of course, I will be honest and tell you that my main draw to Serbia is Novak. Now after over 10 years and with this incredible alignment of my Novak fandom and the mission of NDF, it is so easy to support all the work being done to help children and families in Serbia. It will be a long way before I can understand Serbian but I am learning Serbian words and phrases every day!

Children of Serbia are citizens of the world as well. I remember reading about the work being done around the Roma community – simply tugged at my heart. I feel a strong connection with the values of NDF.

My dream is to volunteer during one of the Friendship Games. It is so heartwarming to see the unbridled joy on the faces of the children.

• What are your impressions about our work – team, transparency, projects, communication with donors?

Based on my years of experience in the world of ECE, and exposure to the work of different non-profit organizations, I will say that the work done by NDF is top-notch.

The website has such good information for anyone across the world to access and utilize. “Support Not Perfection”, Schools for Life, Preschools across different communities of Serbia, and the resources allocated for research, Djokovic Scholars – all of these are great examples. Let me not forget the awesome theatre renovation project! It was so cool!

Jelena’s leadership and her commitment to research and review of data to determine the gaps provide such a strong basis for all the work being done.

The communication with donors – big and small – through social media, emails, and newsletters, is extraordinary. All of the blog posts are so well-written. In fact, I always share them with my colleagues. I get very excited when I receive emails from NDF with lots of good information about the work being done, update on projects, and about any of the new and exciting programs.

• What is your ultimate vision – what kind of change will your support initiate?

I have so much confidence in the work and vision of Team NDF including Jelena and Novak, that I would support any of the efforts and projects. It would be terrific to see investments in Outdoor Classrooms as an experiment within a community in Serbia – wouldn’t that be cool? Overall, children have all kinds of grand and powerful dreams and by investing in them, NDF is investing in the future. I am so grateful and thrilled to be able to support your work. Hvala!

Thank you, Padma! Join her in this Season of Giving and help 100 children in Serbia to preschool education: https://fundraise.novakdjokovicfoundation.org/campaign/season-of-giving-2021/c379680

The post “It is so Heartwarming to See the Unbridled Joy on the Faces of the Children” – Season of Giving Interview with Padma Rajan, Our Top Supporter and Advocate appeared first on Novak Djokovic Foundation.

• What inspires you to support our work daily?

Djokovic and children! I could not have asked for a better alignment of my Djokovic fandom and the mission of the Novak Djokovic Foundation, which is all about early childhood development and early childhood education. Children are the best! ECE research and grants management have been my world of work for nearly 20 years now. I have two (young) grown children of my own, son is a lawyer, and daughter is a pediatrician.

“I have so much confidence in the work and vision of Team NDF including Jelena and Novak, that I would support any of the efforts and projects.” – Padma has already supported this Season of Giving. Let’s join her and enlighten the future of 100 children!

• Why is investing in early childhood education important to you?

I have spent so much time visiting preschools in Duval County, Florida, where I live, and in some of the communities across the US, as part of my work. I cannot stress enough how important it is to give children the best foundation possible. Investing in children = investing in the future.

It is also based on research, and all of the research points to the importance of investment in early childhood education. The majority of brain development happens in the early years. ECE is so important for the emotional, intellectual, and social development of children. Dr. James Heckman, Nobel Laureate in Economics and a Professor at the University of Chicago, through his research, has shown that $1 invested in high-quality early childhood education, has a return of over $7 to society, and leads to better school readiness, reduced poverty, skilled workforce, greater self-sufficiency, and better outcomes for the children and families overall.

• Do you think that people, especially the young, are aware of the benefits of early years?

Parents/caregivers are children’s first teachers. Some of the young families are aware of the importance but I would say many of them are not aware of how significantly important the early years are. Society as a whole is only now gradually realizing the benefits of investing in the early years of childhood and early brain development.

Danina and Neda are among 1000 children in Nis who do not have access to preschool education. Opening another school will help 100 of them. This Season of Giving, we go by #OneWishForNis !

NDF’s program, “Support Not Perfection” is a perfect one to bridge the gap between what the parents know and what they need to know and understand, without feeling overwhelmed. Parenting does not come with a playbook! The most important thing that parents/caregivers need to know is that with unconditional love and patience so much can be accomplished.

• Did you go to kindergarten or preschool and what memories do you cherish from that period?

I went to preschool “millions of years” ago in Chennai, India. I do not remember anything and the only fond memories are what my Mom shared with me from time to time. I do know which preschool I attended – it is still there today! I had the best parents who believed strongly that education is the greatest equalizer and with a strong work ethic and good education, we can make things happen.

• Share with us your life story – our readers want to know more about you!

I was born and raised in Chennai, a large metropolitan city in South India. My parents taught us the value of hard work and determination – am forever grateful for all that they did for my siblings and me. I moved to the US (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) in 1985 after I got married. I became a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) in Pennsylvania. When I started volunteering at my kids’ school, I absolutely fell in love with teaching. I decided to quit being a CPA, and went to graduate school, got my Masters in Education, and taught elementary grades for about 4 years. It started my journey into the world of non-profit organizations especially those with a mission to serve children and families.

“My parents taught us the value of hard work and determination – am forever grateful for all that they did for my siblings and me.” – Join Padma in our Season of Giving campaign and help 100 children in Serbia go to preschool!

We moved to Florida in 2001 and I started working for a large non-profit which has a singular focus of serving children and families with an emphasis on early childhood education. The most blissful job ever! I straddled the world of grants management and program implementation/research – it is just perfect since it has allowed me to utilize my love for numbers and my love of program implementation / ECE research.

• How did you come to be so generous and devoted to humanitarian work?

I would credit my parents for having instilled the importance of giving back to the community and they were so fond of children – who isn’t? I would love to do more. What I am doing is a tiny drop in the ocean compared to how much incredible humanitarian work is being done by so many across the world, ECE Champions are there within each community just like all the dedicated individuals of Team NDF.

• What it means to you, as someone who is not from Serbia nor our region, to support the development of our small community?

When anyone goes to the home page of NDF, the first thing he/she will see are the words “Every Child Matters.” This is so universal and is a powerful statement.

Of course, I will be honest and tell you that my main draw to Serbia is Novak. Now after over 10 years and with this incredible alignment of my Novak fandom and the mission of NDF, it is so easy to support all the work being done to help children and families in Serbia. It will be a long way before I can understand Serbian but I am learning Serbian words and phrases every day!

Children of Serbia are citizens of the world as well. I remember reading about the work being done around the Roma community – simply tugged at my heart. I feel a strong connection with the values of NDF.

My dream is to volunteer during one of the Friendship Games. It is so heartwarming to see the unbridled joy on the faces of the children.

• What are your impressions about our work – team, transparency, projects, communication with donors?

Based on my years of experience in the world of ECE, and exposure to the work of different non-profit organizations, I will say that the work done by NDF is top-notch.

The website has such good information for anyone across the world to access and utilize. “Support Not Perfection”, Schools for Life, Preschools across different communities of Serbia, and the resources allocated for research, Djokovic Scholars – all of these are great examples. Let me not forget the awesome theatre renovation project! It was so cool!

Jelena’s leadership and her commitment to research and review of data to determine the gaps provide such a strong basis for all the work being done.

The communication with donors – big and small – through social media, emails, and newsletters, is extraordinary. All of the blog posts are so well-written. In fact, I always share them with my colleagues. I get very excited when I receive emails from NDF with lots of good information about the work being done, update on projects, and about any of the new and exciting programs.

• What is your ultimate vision – what kind of change will your support initiate?

I have so much confidence in the work and vision of Team NDF including Jelena and Novak, that I would support any of the efforts and projects. It would be terrific to see investments in Outdoor Classrooms as an experiment within a community in Serbia – wouldn’t that be cool? Overall, children have all kinds of grand and powerful dreams and by investing in them, NDF is investing in the future. I am so grateful and thrilled to be able to support your work. Hvala!

Thank you, Padma! Join her in this Season of Giving and help 100 children in Serbia to preschool education: https://fundraise.novakdjokovicfoundation.org/campaign/season-of-giving-2021/c379680

The post “It is so Heartwarming to See the Unbridled Joy on the Faces of the Children” – Season of Giving Interview with Padma Rajan, Our Top Supporter and Advocate appeared first on Novak Djokovic Foundation.