CROWN PRINCESS KATHERINE DELIVERS MUCH NEEDED HELP TO INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATION OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH

TRH Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine together with HE Milica Djurdjevic Stamenkovski, Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs of Serbia, visited The Institute for the Education of Children and Youth in Belgrade today and officially delivered an incredibly valuable and much-needed donation, which will substantially contribute to the betterment of the lives of the children who reside in this Home.

This incredibly generous donation was made possible by the heartfelt support of Mrs. Candice Rosen, in loving memory of her late parents, and represents yet another successful project that has been completed thanks to the efforts of Lifeline Humanitarian Organization of Chicago, which has been under the Patronage of Her Royal Highness for more than three decades. The main mission of this project was to provide the children who reside in this Institution with better living conditions and high-quality nutritional meals. This donation included brand new modern professional kitchen appliances and equipment including a stove with four flat burners, an industrial quality six-level convection oven, a dishwasher, a grill, as well as ten large baking trays and full sets of pots, pans, and serving utensils.

Their Royal Highnesses and Minister used this opportunity to deliver personalised Christmas gifts to the children that were made with much love by Lifeline Chicago’s generous donors, benefactors, and volunteers that just arrived at the Royal Palace with the thousands of Christmas presents for children with whom the Royal Couple celebrates holiday season.

“My husband and I are very grateful to Mrs Candice Rosen and to Lifeline Chicago, which I am so proud to be a patron of. With their support, we have successfully completed another project for the benefit of these wonderful children. Everything that has been done is a reminder to the children that we are always there for them — that they are sincerely loved, and that we care deeply and wholeheartedly for them”, said HRH Crown Princess Katherine and added “there is nothing more precious than seeing a smile on a child’s face when they receive a gift made just for them, and knowing that they have not been forgotten. When someone realizes that their effort brought that smile, it is the greatest reward.“

The Crown Prince in his addressing emphasised how proud he is of his wife’s efforts to always help those in need, and complemented Lifeline Chicago for their great devotion, adding “when we care for children, we care for the future of our people”.

In her address, Minister Đurđević Stamenkovski thanked Crown Princess Katherine and Lifeline Chicago, noting that the new equipment, in addition to providing to the children, will also facilitate the work of the staff who take care of children's meals: "These are our ladies who we often do not see, but as heroes in the shadows, just like caregivers, just like geriatric housewives, they protect the social welfare system, and it is up to us to create conditions for them to make their work as easy as possible." She also emphasized that the packages that Lifeline Chicago sends for the Royal Family's traditional Christmas gift giving are "proof that they care for each child individually and that they take care of everyone's needs."

The Director of the Institute for Children and Youth Education, Mrs Tatjana Milenković Kajkut, expressed her gratitude and emphasized the importance of this support: “This donation means a great deal to our Institution, but above all to the children we care for. The modern kitchen equipment will allow us to improve the quality of meal preparation and enhance the everyday life of the children. We are grateful to HRH Crown Princess Katherine, Lifeline Chicago, and Mrs Candice Rosen for their compassion, support, and great generosity. Every contribution we receive inspires us to continue creating better conditions for our children together.”