WHO ARE WE?

Among the giant global charities that spring into action after a disaster, whether natural or man-made, you will probably never hear mentioned Croatian Relief Services Inc. It may not have as high a profile as the Red Cross or UNICEF but for the past 14 years this organization has been providin g no less a valuable service to the global community in need.

Croatian Relief Services Inc. was founded at the onset of the 1990's as a response to the devastation of war in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Led by its charismatic founder, Father Giordano Belanich, known to all as Father Gio, the organization grew out of the generosity of the large Croatian community of New Jersey whose members donated their time, food, money and clothing to the Croatian Mission at St. John's Church in Fairview, New Jersey where Father Gio has served for the past 25 years. The outpouring was so great however, that the kindness of the community unwittingly created a serious problem. The premises of St. John's soon became inadequate to hold all the donations. Thus begins the story of the Croatian Relief Center.

After returning from a meeting with parishioners where the general consensus was that a larger facility was needed, Father Gio noticed a sign on a large building adjacent to St. John's that read: For Lease or For Rent. He decided on the spot to buy the property despite not having any money to speak of. It was, he says, thanks to the generosity of the community and one anonymous donor, and a little help from above that he was able to purchase the building and expand the organization's operations. In the meantime, Croatian Relief Services Inc. was registered as a non-profit organization in 1992 and has since taken on relief efforts in other parts of the world. From the beginning, Father Gio's loyal team of volunteers has included many parishioners, retirees who live near the center as well as members of his own family including his sister, Darija Baricevic, his mother, Dinka Belanich, and, until his death last year, his father.

Today, fourteen years after its creation, the Croatian Relief Center works in various parts of the world to ease the suffering that follows natural disasters, political strife and war. After the Homeland War in Croatia, containers full of food and clothing were shipped to Bosnia. While aid for Croatia continues to be shipped to this day, other shipments have made their way to Albania, Kosovo, Colombia, El Salvador Peru and Haiti. In many cases, Father Giordano personally visits the areas his organization helps and, motivated by the abject poverty and human suffering he sees, plans projects and missions to help the afflicted communities. After one such visit to Haiti he drew up plans to build a church and school in the town of Pernal and has already raised 30,000 dollars for the purchase of a generator for a local hospital that was functioning without electricity. More recently, the center has directed much of its energy toward the relief effort for the victims of the tsunami that devastated parts of southern Asia.

What began as a spontaneous reaction to the events in Croatia in the early 1990's has grown into a global operation, led by the vision of one man and realized by a community of volunteers. And tonight there is probably a child somewhere in the world less hungry or warmer or reading a school lesson because of it.