The Association of Croatian American Professionals Foundation (ACAPF) announced that over 160 thousand dollars has been raised to help hospitals in various parts of Croatia purchase critical medical equipment and supplies to meet the needs of their patients after the challenges of the March 22nd earthquake in Zagreb and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Following a generous contribution of $125 thousand dollars, donated by Mario Ancic, Ante Kusurin, and their partners Dick Cashin and Steve Lunau at One Equity Partners, the first installment of funds was transferred to a charitable fund “Croatia against Coronavirus” established and administered by the government of Croatia.
-We understand that help is needed and needed now, especially for the newborn and those most vulnerable. We are grateful for the outpouring of support from over 400 donors at the grassroots and corporate level - said Steven Pavletic, ACAP vice president, adding that these are difficult and uncertain economic times for everyone, including their members and that the show of unity and support across all parts of the United States has been extraordinary.
This is the first major fundraising effort for the ACAP Foundation since it launched last year. The foundation’s mission was intended to support a variety of initiatives aimed to encourage business and educational experiences in Croatia. However, in the recent weeks it became very clear to ACAP members across the United States, that the recent natural disaster and pandemic was an urgent call to react to Croatia’s human services crisis.
In addition to ACAPF donations already transferred to the government of Croatia’s charitable relief accounts, additional donations will be directed towards the purchase of medical equipment needed by hospitals damaged by the earthquake in Zagreb last month.
ACAP members and donors are encouraged to explore additional funding options available with matching grants through their corporate employers. To contribute, please visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/croatia-earthquake-fund-children039s-hospital.
Croatian Minister of Health Vili Beros thanked ACAP for their effort and donations!
