The "Jevremovac" Botanical Garden hosted the Fourth New Year's Charity Garden, where six companies participated and raised 1.5 million dinars for the enhancing of the garden's plant collection and for organizations working with youth.
At the ceremony on 23 December, the "winner" was the coniferous tree decorated by the company Eucerin.
The most beautifully decorated tree was selected through votes from the public, who voted at the Botanical Garden and via social media, as well as through the votes of the expert jury, which included fashion designer Dragana Ognjenović, Prof. Dejan Miljković from the Faculty of Architecture, Olivera Popović, public relations specialist at the Botanical Garden, Mila Ivanović from the Serbian Philanthropic Forum, and Željko Mitkovski from the Serbian Philanthropic Forum (SFF) and the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation.
“We are extremely proud of the now traditional 'New Year's Charity Garden' initiative, which has this year raised a record amount of funds. Half of the 1.5 million dinars will be allocated to the enhancing of the plant collection in the Botanical Garden, which also contributes to improving air quality in the city center and mitigates the effects of the urban heat island. The other half will go to organizations that work with youth, and we believe it is crucial to support the youth and ensure their voices are heard,” said Prof. Dr. Milorad Vujičić, Director of the Institute of Botany and the "Jevremovac" Botanical Garden.
This year’s New Year’s Charity Garden, where companies and donors rent and creatively decorate trees in the unique setting of the "Jevremovac" Botanical Garden, saw participation from the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Erste Bank, Eucerin, Imlek, Go Sushi, and the Intesa Foundation. The event was traditionally organized in cooperation with the "Jevremovac" Botanical Garden of the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Biology, the Serbian Philanthropy Forum (SFF), and the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation.
“When we first organized the New Year’s Charity Garden four years ago, with the same goal as the National Day of Giving, we believed it would become part of our philanthropic tradition. I thank all the companies that have participated over the past years and invite all interested parties to join us in 2025, so that together we can build partnerships that not only support the enhancing of the Botanical Garden’s plant collection but also highlight the transformative power of philanthropy as a key driver of positive change in every community,” said Željko Mitkovski, President of the Serbian Philanthropic Forum's Board and Project Manager at the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation.
At the ceremony in the impressive greenhouse of the Botanical Garden, with a musical program by the choir of the “Nevena Popović” Primary Music School, the winning tree was officially announced by Dragana Ognjenović, who emphasized that, besides the aesthetic contribution of decorating the Botanical Garden for the holidays, the philanthropic impact of this initiative—supporting young people and enhancing the plant collection—is far more significant.
Since its inception in 2021, the New Year’s Charity Garden has raised a total of 4.5 million dinars, half of which has been dedicated to the enhancing of the Botanical Garden’s plant collection.
Visitors will be able to see the decorated trees at the "Jevremovac" Botanical Garden until mid-January.
