Twenty days before Christmas, a special day is hidden among the Advent lights - International Volunteer Day on December 5th. It is dedicated to individuals who are usually unknown to the public but generously dedicate their time, effort, talents, goodwill and knowledge to make a positive change in the world. Bringing joy and happiness to others or providing assistance to those in need.

While the Charity Association Kolajna ljubavi is primarily known for its activities in Africa, we take immense pride in gathering a considerable number of volunteers, not only those who volunteer in Africa but also those who work locally on various projects in Croatia.

At present, we have around 60 active volunteers. For the first time, we decided to celebrate International Volunteer Day by awarding a special Oscar, the "Kolajna's Link Award," to the most active volunteer in our association.

Choosing just one volunteer was tough, so we selected four "Kolajna's Links" for the year 2023: Ines Bralić, Nena Podrug, Luka Lovre, and Boris Glad.

All four worked diligently on different projects.

Ines has been active through our association for five years, primarily working with children at the Center for Education Prekrižje. She assists in sorting donations and packaging for socially vulnerable families. This Advent, she was involved in distributing gifts for St. Nicholas Day. In short, Ines is the person you call when something is needed, and she immediately steps in.

Luka Lovre operates in Caritas' Home for underprivileged children in Vugrovec. He has been volunteering with children for years and excels in workshops to empower vulnerable groups of children.

Boris has made a significant contribution through Eco-Relaxation, a project funded by the Central State Office for Demography and Youth.

Nena is the only one of this year's "Oscar winners" who volunteered in Africa. She spent last summer in Tanzania and is also very active in Croatia. Enthusiastically participating in Kolajna's activities, mostly at the Prekrižje Center. Among the children from this center, she participated in the dance performance at the Festival of Equal Opportunities on Ban Jelačić Square in Zagreb.

We held our ceremony in the beautiful hall of the Parish of Leopold Mandić in Zagreb. All our volunteers received a magnet as a gift. Our volunteers and participants from several recent Kolajna projects created the magnets. The motifs on the magnetic decorations represent the adventures that our volunteers experience through their work with the Charity Association Kolajna ljubavi. The colors and motifs on the magnets truly depict a mosaic of valuable initiatives and goodwill performed by Kolajna ljubavi.