Presenting the donation, mayor Obersnel expressed his thanks to the heads and numerous shelter volunteers who take care of homeless people and put part of their free time and good will in order to enhance the work of the shelter in these times when everyone is short of money.
The City of Rijeka provided HRK 50,000.00 and it invited all carnival lovers to show with their donations the humaneness of Rijeka and the humanitarian character of the Rijeka Carnival. As a result, in this campaign, in addition to city proceeds, the organiser managed to collect more than HRK 53 thousand (individuals: HRK 5,362.73; legal entities HRK 41,900.00; cities and communes within the Rijeka ring HRK 5,900.00).
The head of the Shelter Vilma Mlinarić thanked the City of Rijeka for its support, explaining that the donated funds will be spent to extend the work of the creative workshop, i.e. to transform it into a social craft so that the Shelter and the homeless people could partly finance themselves with their own work. The workshop of creative activities is led by volunteer Dijana Superina.
The beneficiaries were present at the ceremony of handing over the donation, and two of them, Marino and Mimi, gave a performance to the visitors singing the song "Street Lights" after which the first Croatian magazine for homeless people tackling similar social topics, published by the Shelter was named.ž
The homeless shelter is led by the Secular Franciscan Order and they all work as volunteers, except the head Vilma Mlinarić and partly her deputy. Also, about thirty external professionals and people of good will who volunteer are included every month in its work. During the three years of its work the services of the shelter were used by about two hundred beneficiaries.
The Shelter closely co-operates with the Rijeka Social Welfare Centre and other institutions authorised to assist these population categories. The City of Rijeka has been supporting the work of the Shelter since the beginning. The amount of HRK 85,000.00 has been provided to co-finance the work of the Shelter in 2010. In addition to the City of Rijeka, the Shelter is also supported by the Archdiocese of Rijeka and the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County.
(S.R.)