Funds For Filip

My name is Tricia Wisniewski, and this year, I had the priviledge of being a host mom to one of the best kids I've ever known.  Filip came to us from Kraljevo, Serbia, a small town in southern Serbia.  We chose Filip from a list of available exchange students because of his shared interest in playing water polo,  and because the letter he wrote to us stole our hearts.  Our family feels very blessed to have chosen this young man, and he is now a permanent part of our family.
 
We have been running this fundraiser for the past few months in hopes of helping Filip raise the money he will need to attend college here in the fall.  He will be living with our family in order to save him the cost of living expenses on campus, but he is still working hard to raise the rest of his tuition money.  Through various side jobs Filip has done, from donors and from a garage sale fundraiser we had in May, we have been able to help Filip raise almost $3000!  I want to thank all of our friends and family who helped us do it! We have been humbled by the outpouring of kindness we have experienced.  

At the beginning of June, I was able to travel to Serbia to meet Filip's family there.  I have never felt more welcomed in my life!  It is easy to see where Filip gets his kind heart and hard work ethic.  I can't tell you everything I saw there because I could go on forever, but I will try to summarize why this trip changed my view of everything - living life to the fullest, being happy with the gifts God has given my family, and appreciating every penny we are Blessed to have.  And to spend my life always "paying it forward".





In Serbia, nothing comes easily.  Work is scarce, whether you have a Master's degree or not.  Doctors even find it difficult to secure jobs.  I spoke with many people who gave me hope and also some who caused my heart to break even more for these wonderful people.  One woman even said to me,  "When I see children laughing and happy, I want to cry for them, because I know their innocence blinds them from what their futures here have in store for them. Nothing."

Because of Serbia's war-torn past and hostile present with Kosovo, cities are still recovering.  Poverty is rampant and finding work is impossible.  Serbians live their lives from day to day.  The only current hope they have for their children is to send them to the USA, or other parts of Europe where the future has promise.  Serbia has so much potential, but no money with which to make any real changes.  This is the case with many countries around the world, but today my fight and my cause is for Serbia and for Filip.   

As a kid growing up in Serbia, Filip's options for higher education were limited, as they are for all Serbian children.  Only the top 10 % of high school students get scholarships to attend college, while the others have to find other means of affording it.  That isn't easy when the average income a Serbian earns is between $250 and $500 per month, no matter what degree he/she has secured, and that is assuming there are jobs available.  Filip wants something more for his future, and wants to teach other Serbians that there is more to life than settling for what is.  

This fall, Filip will begin the journey of a lifetime at Grand Valley State University in the Excercise Science/Sports Medicine Program.  His love for sports, fitness and nutrition have led him to this choice. Grand Valley is the best fit for him and his hopes for a better future for his family.  Because of his academic accomplishments this past year, he was eligible for a small academic scholarship, but is still in need of a little help.  If you can help Filip at all in funding his first year of college at GVSU, he will be more grateful than you could ever imagine! AND HE WON'T LET YOU DOWN!!