Serbian Postcards from America by Aleksandar Zigic

TV Report on Negotin TV regarding Consecration of the building

Kathy Fanslow speaks about the Evening with "Our Serbs" Humanitarian Organization in Chicago area. The event took place at Citrine Restaurant in Oak Park, Illinois.

Bishop Offers Appreciation to Our Serbs for Funding to Secure Land!

MARCH 2019

Kathy Fanslow Talks about the Our Serbs Mission and Accomplishments:

Christmas in Serbia

Firewood For Seven Families

Chicago Fire Soccer Team donation

Velkjo Paunovic - zahvalnost srpskog tima na Kosovu - Chicago Fire donation delivered by Our Serbs. Kathy Fanslow, President and Founder of Humanitarian Organization Our Serbs has delivered a gift from Chicago Fire soccer team to the Serbian team in Gracanica, in Kosovo.

A Special Visitor to the Our Serbs Chicago Office

July 2018

Some pictures from our last trip. We love sharing these moments...

This group of Italian Solders are the protectors of our Decani Monastery. God Bless you and stay safe. Thank you!

Thank you Saint Basil of Ostrog Serbian Orthodox Church 

July 1, 2018

"Today during the Fellowship Lunchtime two speakers were invited to help us remember and honor Vidovodan and the history of the Serbian holy land and to share what is going on there today. Dunja Vla is a church school teacher and has taught Serbian language classes too. She shared and explained a part of a well-known poem about Vidovdan. Dunja reminded us all what has happened in the area, not only in 500 years of Turkish rule but also things that followed. 

Kathy Fanslow then shared what is happening there today, what are the greatest needs, and what help is being delivered. She stressed that the people they are helping in Kosovo want to stay on their family land. They want to support and to feed their own families there. They don't want to abandon their churches and monasteries. God bless these people. They don't want to leave their family's land or their churches. There is a special bond with the clergy of the area.

Kathy also shared information about the livestock purchased for families to help provide food and then hopefully the livestock will increase their numbers so eventually people will not only have food but extra to sell to others so that they can purchase other things they need.

The clergy there and Our Serbs try to make the help self-sustaining whenever possible. Needs are met by purchasing things in Serbia and to save the high costs of shipping things there. It also helps support local jobs and businesses. For example, the windows for the Neogtin kolo building were purchased from a monastery that makes and sells custom windows to sustain their monastery.

Our Serbs is also responsible for purchasing the land that now has permanently secured the only water source to Monastery Gracanica in Kosovo.

The overview of Kosovo today enlightened everyone on the positive things in people's lives as well as, the needs that lie ahead that need attention and help.

Thank you to Dunja and Kathy for highlighting Kosovo of past and Kosovo today. We can't change the past, but we can make a difference today and for the future. God bless all the clergy and faithful who try to live their lives there and all those who donate and visit there."

Content above written by Saint Basil of Ostrog Serbian Orthodox Church. 

July 1, 2018

"Our Serbs works directly with and through the Patriarchate, Bishops, and Priests. Things are purchased by the church at the request of Our Serbs with the donations they send. Then Our Serbs board members go to Kosovo and parts of Serbia 3 - 4 times per year to personally deliver what needs to be delivered and to review the work accomplished. They prefer to travel in small groups and to go into the homes and places where the greatest needs are identified by the Church there."
Saint Basil of Ostrog Serbian Orthodox Church

Our Serbs 2nd Annual Pig Roast!

Thank you to all who came out to support a great cause! The second annual pig roast was held on May 19, 2018 to help raise money to support our summer projects! Our Serbs will be in Kosovo on the 10th of June to deliver the four cows, tools, and computer to the families in great need.

NEGOTIN, SERBIA

April 2018

Look At Our Progress!

It has been some time and a lot of work to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel with our Negotin Project. With your help and support,we are thrilled to share these pictures with you of how the Kolo SS building in Negotin looks today.

Update Negotin:

The second phase of the building has been completed and sponsored by OUR SERBS. The windows for the building in Negotin have now been made at the Monastery Bukovo. They are painted and are being installed.  When we get there in June, we will take pictures.

Mira & Zoran had met with the Bishop last week on their visit, and he had expressed his appreciation for what OUR SERBS has been doing.

Thank you to the Negotin Project donors!

Read the full story below...

Negotin is so far removed from the major cities, the local people have very little access to medical care. The Kolo Sisters would love to restore the building to be a beacon of hope to the people by providing medical care, a soup kitchen and food distribution center and a way to share the history and culture.

This historic structure can provide a place for culture community, and aid. Zoran and Mira Gusic, along with the clergy, have worked with Our Serbs to provide a hand up, not a hand out. Restoring this beautiful building owned by the Kolo Sisters would provide much needed services in the poverty stricken community.

This is a long-term project that would last 2 years. The first of four phases has been completed by the Kolo Sisters, which included the roof and electricity. 

The second phase of the building has been completed and sponsored by OUR SERBS. The windows for the building in Negotin have now been made at the Monastery Bukovo. They are painted and are being installed.  When we get there in June, we will take pictures.

Mira & Zoran had met with the Bishop last week on their visit, and he had expressed his appreciation for what OUR SERBS has been doing.

Thank you to the Negotin Project donors!

Easter Donation to Soup Kitchen for Easter Dinner

April 2018

“The distribution of meals began at noon. Owing to Ms. Katarina Dojčinović (Kathy Fanslow) and her humanitarian organization “Our Serbs” and the management of the Faith Charity Stewardship, the meals were particularly rich this year….”

Article and pictures from the Faith Charity Stewardship.

The Showing of Enklava, April 2018

On April 19, 2018 'Our Serbs' had a special showing of the movie Enklava at Catalyst Ranch. We had a great turn out and loved spending time with our donors, sponsors, and friends. 

Interview at Cook County Treasurer Office

Kathy Fanslow of Our Serbs was interviewed at the Cook County Treasurer Office Event: See The Video Below

Easter, April 2018

Our mission is to help make a difference in the lives of the Serbian people. When we can reach out and help families like the ones below it fills our hearts with love and joy. Your continued donations and support help us give where it's needed most. We couldn't do this without you! Our Serbs, Mira and Zoran visited families and delivered food for Easter. We wanted to share their stories with you. See the below.

The night of the gifting at Hram St. Sava!

Christmas in Serbia 2017

Trip to Serbia 2017

CHRISTMAS IN SERBIA PROJECT 2017

AvalaNews.com Interviews Kathy Fanslow, President of Our Serbs!

Pig Roast - May 2017

We are so very excited to share with you how successful our 1st Serbian Country Line Dancing Pig Roast went.  Our dancing instructor, Dazzling Dawn, taught us some amazing country line dances, and we, in turn, taught her how to dance the “kolo”.
 
Most importantly we raised enough funds for all our projects that being a roof, barn, animals, greenhouse, and the soup kitchen health center! Thank you all for helping Our Serbs and Kosovo.  We hope to see you next year for our 2nd Annual Pig Roast.  

Watch "Our Serbs Chicago - Nasi Srbi Cikago - BN TV" on YouTube

Christmas in serbia

"During the Christmas season, as we did in previous years, we talk with the representatives of religious charity guardianship tirelessly with much effort and love taking care of those who are poor, weak, sick, abandoned and forgotten by all. Guardianship does so with the help of numerous friends benefactors, one of which occupies a special place organization "Our Serbs" from Chicago. Our guests in an emotional and touching the emission of the priest Vladimir Markovic, Secretary VDS's, Kathy Fanslow, founder of the organization, her daughter Tracy,  Lynn Svilar and Mira and Zoran Gušić."

Listen to the radio show!

Religious charity custody Archbishopric of Belgrade-Karlovac organized tonight, with the blessing of Patriarch Irinej, the allocation of Christmas packages and gifts received more than 600 children.

Read the article here!

The religious charity organization guardianship Archbishopric of Belgrade-Karlovac on January 5, 2017 in the crypt of Saint Sava Temple held a festive Christmas parcels for the youngest residents of the House Zvečanska višedetnih children from families and children users Church soup kitchen. See the pictures below.

Read the article here!

Murder Mystery Night - 11/2016

Our Serbs enjoys a 'Murder Mystery' Night with Board Members and Friends. Kathy Fanslow shared the mission and all the amazing projects we are currently working on. We were so blessed with contributions and look forward to building new relationships.

TIMOCKA KRAJINA, SERBIA

Although they do not provide a soup kitchen yet, like the main location; they do help families with small children, provide support for a senior citizen’s home, and anything else they can afford to do to fill the void in the community.

In February, they were able to announce that OUR SERBS- Nasi Srbi will be helping them.

Our Serbs will be providing funds to purchase packages for families which will include eggs, oil, sugar, and flour for Easter. We will post updates as soon as we have them.

KATHY'S VISIT - JUNE 2016 UPDATE

The Ramojkovic family including the mother, father, and two sons in Zajecar, village Mala Jasikova, were one of the families visited at Easter time.  The factory where the boys had worked is now closed and the only one working is the mother, doing whatever she can.

St. Basil of Ostrog, Lake Forest, purchased five sheep for the boys to tend to, to receive cheese and milk to become self-sufficient. 

That is what Our Serbs is all about.  Thank you St. Basil for your trust and support.

MAY 2016 UPDATE

The city of Zajecar, in the region of Timocka Krajina, nine families were helped with some of the basic necessities. All the families were so grateful for the items as well as someone to have interest in their well-being.  Our Serbs wish them a Happy Easter, Hristos Vaskrese!

VRDILA, SERBIA

Versko Drustvo Staratelja approached OUR SERBS with a project that would have great impact on the life of a Serbian family. Versko had recognized the need of a large family struggling to stay together and live a self-sustainable life.

Family Vasic, a family of six headed by parents Bogdan and Ana Marija, and their four young children were forced to move. Given the dire economic situation in the cities, the Vasic family had to move to the village of Vrdila near Kraljevo where they have a small home with a barn, a few sheep, and some rabbits. Abutting their property is a tract of land owned by a large food processing company. Serbia is the world’s largest exporter of raspberries, and the land next to the Vasic’s has a bountiful harvest of raspberries. The soil conditions and climate create an abundance of this crop, a major source of revenue in exported goods for Serbia. Many families like the Vasics feel forced to move to the agricultural areas to provide an income for their families.

Mr. Vasic saw this and decided to cover his half acre with raspberries. There was just one challenge: he needed 1,800 raspberry plants to cover his half acre of land. The soil was tested and showed the land was ripe for producing an abundant harvest of berries. However, he lacked the funds to purchase the plants.

OUR SERBS stepped in and donated the funds. The planting will begin shortly since raspberries are planted in early spring. This is only the beginning. Stay entrenched with us for the next chapter in the Vasic Family Project as we watch this family and crops blossom.

KATHY'S VISIT - JUNE 2016 UPDATE

For families like Vasic, farming promises vitality difficult to find in the cities.  For rural communities, farming unites people under a common bond, caring for the land and taking pride in the work they do.  Farming isn’t a means to an end; but rather a way to thrive and feel fulfilled while caring for family in the traditional culture.  During our visit, they were very proud to show us the new raspberries coming in, even though it takes several years for them to produce.  They also had planted onions and potatoes.

JUNE 2016 UPDATE

Even though we had some terrible rains, the plants are healthy and doing great.  Happiness is watching the garden grow!

APRIL 2016 UPDATE

We are excited to share an update on this project. The planting process has begun, and as you can see from the pictures below the fields are being prepared for the planting of the raspberry canes. Calcium is being spread throughout as the first phase. Once the work was completed Bogdan invited us to his village.

BELGRADE, SERBIA

Kathy Fanslow, Founder of Our Serbs, first met Priest Vladimir Markovic of  VDS, in January 2016 during her visit to Serbia. They spoke of the current activities provided and the future plans VDS has to serve the children and youth in the community. Kathy expressed an interest in supporting one of their projects involving a young man.

Nebojsa Misevic, the young man would have to leave his part-time job at VDS in search of a full-time job in order to support his family. He is a valuable team member at VDS, helping with the website and in numerous other capacities to serve VDS.

VDS (Versko Drustvo Staratelja) has grown tremendously in 6 years. They now serve over 2000 meals between 5 centers. However, they could not do it without the many volunteers, donors, and support of Patriarch Irinej and the contribution Nebojsa adds to the team with his diversity of skills and willingness to complete any assignment he is tasked with.

OUR SERBS-Nasi Srbi has offered to help keep Nebojsa full time beginning in March. This allows him to provide for his family without stress and continue to serve VDS so they can fulfill their mission which is so desperately needed.

 This is only the beginning of the impact VDS can make with the financial support of Our Serbs. Stay tuned to follow Nebojsa and the future vision VDS has to serve more youth in the area.