VIRTUS 2011 Awards for Corporate Philanthropy
03.12.2011.
On December 3, at the National Parliament of Serbia, USAID’s CSAI project and the Balkan Community Initiative Fund (BCIF) organized the VIRTUS 2011 Corporate Philanthropy Award ceremony. This was the fifth consecutive year that the VIRTUS Awards were bestowed to socially responsible enterprises that demonstrate – in policy and in practice – the highest standards of stewardship towards the long-term well-being of the broader community. The high-profile event was attended by over 150 representatives from private sector companies, government, civil society and media. Mrs. Mary Warlick, US Ambassador to Serbia, Mr. Michael Davenport, British Ambassador to Serbia, Mr. Rasim Ljajic, Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Ms. Ivana Cirkovic, Director of the Government Office for Cooperation with Civil Society and Ms. Biljana Stepanovic, President of the VIRTUS selection committee, addressed the audience in attendance. VIRTUS Awards in six categories were presented to companies and enterprises which distinguished themselves in the past year by supporting public and non-profit action and/or organization in the following categories: 1) The Main Award for Contribution at the National Level (winner: Esrte Bank); 2) The Award for Contribution to the Local Community (Holicm); 3) The Award for Small and Medium Enterprises (Sunce Company from Kragujevac); 4) The Award for Long-term Partnership between the Private and Civic Sector (Telenor); 5) Special Award for Support to the Most Innovative Project of the Year (B92); and 6) Special Award for Volunteering (Erste Bank). The event received extensive media coverage in national level media outlets.
