President Milanović bestows decorations upon volunteer blood donors and tells them: Croatia is world class in volunteer blood donations
“Croatia is a state and a society that generally does not do well in volunteer work. In free, non-payable and volunteer help to others, we rate poorer than western countries. Yet in something that represents the highest level of volunteering, in volunteer blood donations, we are world class”, President Milanović said in his address in a ceremony to bestow the Order of the Croatian Star with the Effigy of Katarina Zrinska for the noble and humanitarian act of donating blood more than one hundred times for men and seventy-five times for women upon the second group of volunteer blood donors for 2020.
“This is the fourth time in a short period of time that I have the honour to decorate people who are everything but ordinary. What you are doing is excellence, exceptionality and a rarity. I want this to be heard, to be remembered. I congratulate and thank you and hope that young people will take your place”, President Milanović stated among others, and said that he hopes volunteer blood donors will be a role model for other forms of volunteering.
At the ceremony in the Office of the President the Order of the Croatian Star with the Effigy of Katarina Zrinska was bestowed upon 64 volunteer blood donors out of 178 decorated in 2020. They are the following: Boris Acinger, Goran Bedalov, Ivica Bekavac, Velimir Benković, Zvonko Bingula, Zdravko Blažević, Valter Blažić, Željko Bosnar, Nenad Černjul, Ivo Delonga, Nediljko Domandžić, Marinko Dubravica, Dragutin Dumbović, Nevenka Furjan, Josip God, Stjepan Gorički, Josip Grgić, Nikola Horvat, Ivica Jelinčić, Marijan Jurak, Valerija Jurak, Emilija Kaloper Cesar, Robert Klarić, Siniša Kolarić, Milan Koletić, Nikola Korovljević, Igor Kosmić, Dražen Kovač, Srđan Krasojević, Mladen Krčelić, Ivica Krsnik, Paško Kužić, Damir Lenardić, Siniša Lešić, Mladen Madjerić, Silvije Marković, Slavko Marković, Ivan Marlović, Stjepan Mikac, Darko Mikan, Dražen Mikulić, Dražen Mikuš, Slobodan Mormil, Krunoslav Novosel, Marko Orlić, Ivica Pahljina, Željko Popović, Velimir Posavec, Stjepan Povsud, Robert Presečki, Tomislav Radivoj, Jakov Sorić, Tomislav Šalić, Željko Šimek, Božo Šivo, Zlatko Šmuljić, Dražen Špoljarić, Dragutin Štimac, Stjepan Tandarić, Ivica Trubić, Žarko Vučinić, Vesko Vužar, Branko Zvonarić and Damir Žlender. The other volunteer blood donors decorated in 2020 received their decorations during a ceremony in the Office of the President last week.
Addressing the gathering on behalf of the decorated volunteer blood donors was volunteer blood donor Valerija Jurak. “On behalf of all of us who come from various parts of Croatia and symbolize its solidarity and nobleness, we thank you. I am certain that each and every one of us present here today is proud of the fact that our blood helped save and prolong someone’s life. Donating our blood fulfils us and makes us happy and we consider it our way of life”, Valerija Jurak noted. Reminding that many countries are not capable of ensuring sufficient blood supplies for their citizens, Mrs. Jurak confirmed that the Republic of Croatia is one of the rare countries that can boast of it. “Behind such achievements are the perseverance and solidarity of its citizens, good cooperation and organized and social-minded Red Cross and transfusion services. Blood is indispensable and irreplaceable, it preserves and saves lives. By donating blood we glorify and respect life, we nurture good human relations and ensure safety to our citizens”, she concluded.
Attending the ceremony in the Office of the President of the Republic were the Executive President of the Croatian Red Cross Robert Markt, the Director of the Croatian Institute for Medicine Transfusion Irena Jukić and the Heads of the Department for Volunteer Blood Donations Božica Bortek and Šani Samardžić.
Alongside President Milanović were the Head of the Cabinet of the President Bartol Šimunić, the Adviser to the President for Human Rights and Civil Society Melita Mulić and the Adviser to the President for Education Jadranka Žarković.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Tomislav Bušljeta, Marko Beljan