When a person from Nikšić Radovan Petranic, a Red Cross volunteer and one of the winners of the “Iskra” award for philanthropy, went to Golija in December last year to deliver New Year's gifts prepared by the Nikšić “Red Cross” to the children of the “Branko Višnjić” Elementary School, and learned that a boy was living in difficult conditions. At that time, the trio of humanists Ljiljana Femic, Milodarka Zoric and Petranić, took action and a story began that continues to this day: they visit rural schools, give away balls, cake, sweets and school supplies provided by the company "Jolly Commerce", and the students, in return, give them smiles, hugs and an invitation to lunch.
If they find out that there are children or families who need additional help, then their mission becomes even more important.
Radovan remembers the first action and Golija in particular.
"That action is the most emotionally difficult volunteer action I've done, and I've done quite a few during my decades of volunteering. First, I came across a child living in a rather difficult financial situation, and I called Ljilja from Golija, explained to her what it was about, and literally in three days she almost single-handedly raised all the funds for that child. So that he wouldn't be singled out from the other children and wouldn't feel bad about it, and maybe hurt, Milodarka, 'Jolly' and her family prepared school supplies and gifts for the other children as well. However, that action had such an emotional impact on Ljilja that she ended up in the hospital. That morning, the three of us were planned to go, but we had to leave her at the Internal Medicine Department, and the two of us went to Golija. Milodarka bought the 'famous' boots for that boy, and when he opened the box and saw them, I can't describe in words what a 'mess' of emotions happened in those few seconds. He started laughing and crying at the same time out of happiness, so there was a lump in his throat, the teacher was taken aback, Milodarka started crying, and I just had to stop it all and bring it to a 'normal' state. I just managed to hug the boy and that very moment was decisive, a spark to move on, to the other village schools, to visit our friends big and small and see if there is a child who is in a difficult financial situation and to try to help", says Radovan, who has rolled up his sleeves almost 90 times and donated precious liquid, as well as platelets.
And so, school by school, smile by smile, cake by cake. After Golija, it was Velimlje, Donje Crkvice's turn, and then they stopped by the Šavnik region, Bijela and Boan.
"The cake, which is usually in the shape of a book, always carries a certain message. I remember that the cake we took to Crkvice had indigo-blue fondant and that the children enthusiastically ran into the hallway to see their 'blue' tongues in the mirror, while the teacher took a photo of them, happy and dirty, as a keepsake," says Ljiljana, who learned long ago that a happy person is one who knows how to share joy, kindness, and help.
Every school and every child is special in their own way, but somehow Donje Crkvice has become close to their hearts because of the harmony of the collective, because of the welcoming hospitality, because of one Bogdan, because of the school that functions like a family.
"In that school, which has only six students, we felt like we were at home. Everyone treated us in a kind of homely way – from the principal, teachers, hygienist, to our friends. The night before our arrival, Bogdan 'forced' his mother to make cookies because they were having guests from the city, and then invited us to come to his place for lunch... Well, in every school they welcomed us like the most beloved ones," says Milodarka, one of those silent heroes we knew about when corona changed our lives, but who we later forgot about.
During the corona pandemic, many people from locked-down municipalities reached remote villages, the sick and poor, to those who needed to be delivered food and medicine. Many sewed masks, because at that time, breathing freely was "forbidden".
One of them is Milodarka, who, with her team and family, worked day and night sewing masks and distributing them to citizens for free.
"Words cannot describe the feeling when you help someone. I don't sleep the night before I leave. I think about the school we're going to, the children we'll meet. This is something that fulfills me. It changed my life," Milodarka is honest.
While Ljiljana talks about her crushes with her friends, big and small, and they confide in her about their secrets, and whose eyes shine especially brightly, Milodarka and Radovan discreetly and unobtrusively try to find out if there is anyone among those children, or in the village, who needs additional help.
"We've returned to three schools for the second time so far, brought help to those in need, and we also brought baby food, but that's what stays between us," says Radovan.
But, there are no shortage of activities among them, because for each school, one of their friends or acquaintances signs up to donate. Their families and "Jolly" are constantly there.
"Our friends call us and ask us where we are going, which school we are visiting, what they need to buy, what they need to do. If a child or family needs help, we collect it in two days. We even have an example of a boy who, when he saw his mother packing things, asked what she was doing, and when she explained to him that some children needed their help, he packed his favorite toy and vest and took a bag to pack fruit from the table. And the second time he sent toys for a child again. That made me very happy, not because of his gifts, but because this empathy is born in children from a young age," says Milodarka.
Ljiljana talks about her daughter's colleagues who sent clothes with labels, Radovan about a man from Nikšić who works as a manual laborer at a warehouse and who set aside two daily wages to buy gifts for the big-hearted trio of children.
They are aware that they cannot change the lives of the students they visit, but they try to change at least one day for them. And, as they say, there could be more such special days.
"The principal of a school in Herceg-Novi brought children from his school to Crkvice and they spent the whole day with their peers from Crkvice, to whom they also brought gifts. It would be nice if other schools followed this example and invited children from rural schools to be their guests, to go to a play, a match, to watch a film, but also for children from city schools to visit their peers in rural schools, to see what it's like to study in schools that don't have classrooms, central heating, but a wood-burning stove, and that have to milk cows before going to class, because their only obligation is to study," Radovan points out.
But, the three of them say, children in villages have a special pride, elegance, upbringing, and respect for their elders, which their peers in cities often forget.
"When we came to Golija for the second time, a boy from the first grade started running down the stairs and as soon as he heard the teacher say 'guests' he stood still, to greet us and show us respect. And it's like that in every school. I was amazed by their elegance, their poise, their politeness. And their camaraderie. I simply have no words," says Ljiljana, and with sympathy she talks about a certain Sara from Boan, a second grader, a blonde, lively girl who won over with her directness and openness.
"Girls have privileges and we always give them some hairpins as a gift that they are especially happy about. One girl from Crkvica, I think, took a hairpin out of her bag five times and admired it, and I admired her," says Milodarka, whose husband is the main "culprit" that they also visited two schools in the municipality of Šavnik.
He wanted to make the little ones from the village where he was born happy, bought everything they needed, and the three of them took gifts. But they also returned with joy, because they know that they gave the children they visited love. By the end of the school year, the joy of giving will also be felt by students from Vraćenovići, Petrovići, Grahovi and Vilus. And then a new school year, new schools, new friends, and the same gifts and smiles.
Bonus video:
