HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO UMD!
National.
Today is the 5th Anniversary of the United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD)! In such a short period of time, UMD has become the leading global grassroots non-governmental organization (NGO) promoting the interests of Macedonians worldwide. UMD’s strong commitment to promoting these interests is attested to by its achievements. Those achievements were only possible because of the support of UMD’s members, donors, supporters, and volunteers and include:
• The opening of UMD headquarters in Washington, D.C., and the hiring of a full-time staff making UMD the first Macedonian organization with a permanent presence in Washington, D.C.;
• The commencement of UMD operations throughout the U.S., Australia, Canada, and Europe;
• Visiting all 535 Congressional offices to educate members of Congress regarding Macedonian issues while strengthening U.S. support for Macedonia’s name and NATO membership;
• Being the first Macedonian Diaspora NGO to partner with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Academy for Educational Development in the Primary Education Project; co-sponsoring the last concert of the late Macedonian pop singer Tose Proeski raising over $200,000, which was used to renovate over 100 schools in Macedonia;
• Continuously promoting positive international media coverage of Macedonian issues by having articles published or being quoted in The Washington Times, Foreign Policy Association, Globe and Mail, The Australian, Congressional Quarterly, the Canada-based Embassy, The Hill’s Congress Blog, the Journal Gazette of Fort Wayne, The Age, The Star Ledger, and the Sydney Morning Herald;
• Co-sponsoring Macedonia name rally in Melbourne, Australia, bringing over 20,000 Macedonians and friends of Macedonia in front of the Victorian Parliament;
• Holding the 1st Annual UMD Global Conference in Washington, D.C. bringing together guests from more than 14 countries;
• Introducing the first-ever Macedonian affinity credit card program – the UMD Platinum VISA Rewards credit card;
• Being the first-ever Macedonian-American organization to be recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau;
• Organizing a grassroots campaign urging members of the European Parliament to call upon the Bulgarian government to recognize and respect the civil and human rights of the Macedonian minority resulting in over 3 million e-mails, letters, and faxes being sent;
• Co-sponsoring the 1st Australia Macedonia Relations Forum in Australian Parliament in Canberra;
• Leading the non-governmental Macedonia in NATO 2008 Campaign resulting in over 6.8 million e-mails, letters, and faxes being sent to all NATO member states and their Parliaments;
• Coordinating the sending of over 40,000 letters to members of Congress in one month;
• Establishing the Fund for Macedonian Children to undertake effective humanitarian programs to benefit the youth of Macedonia and thereby forging a better future for the entire Balkan region;
• Delivering humanitarian aid in the form of warm clothing and blankets to over 300 orphans in Macedonia;
• Sponsoring Macedonian socio-cultural activities such as the Macedonian Film Festivals in Toronto and London, Macedonian Cultural Festival in New Jersey, 7th North American Conference of Macedonian Studies at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and Macedonian Folk Performances before the Annual Washington, D.C. Turkish Festival;
• Establishing cooperative relationships with the American Jewish Committee, Assembly of Turkish American Associations, and the Turkish Coalition of America; and;
• Annually awarding six heritage scholarships for Macedonian students.
To continue UMD’s efforts and activities, it is essential for UMD to be financially sound and stable. That is why, as always, UMD relies on contributions from its members, friends, and Macedonian communities worldwide. Therefore, we ask you to continue supporting UMD and donate, join, or renew your membership today.
Please note that you can contribute to UMD by several ways. You can become a member or donate online at https://www.acteva.com/go/united. You can also send your donations to: United Macedonian Diaspora, 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, 6th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20004. If you would like to make a monthly recurring donation to UMD, please visit http://www.networkforgood.org and type in “United Macedonian Diaspora” in the search engine.
Finally, you can apply online for the UMD Platinum Visa Credit Card with Rewards at http://www.cardpartner.com/app/united-macedonian-disapora; $50 will be transferred to UMD when you first use this card.
Please note: All U.S. donations are tax-deductible subject to donor eligibility.
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us with your suggestions and questions.
United, We Can Make a Difference!
Thank you for supporting the important work of UMD!
Regards,
Denis Manevski
Treasurer and Board Member
dmanevski@umdiaspora.org
[UMD]
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