Bishop Nikolaj Veremilovich Fund
In 2012, Holy Trinity Serbian Church, as a result of a program created by St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Dr. Park, established the Bishop Nikolaj Velimirovic Fund to help children from Serbia who have cerebral palsy.
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. CP is the most common motor disability in childhood. Statistically, about two to three children out of every 1,000 have Cerebral Palsy in the US.
With help from Dr. Park and St Louis Children’s Hospital, children are chosen for surgery based on their diagnosis and the likely success of Dr. Park’s surgical procedure. Families from Serbia fund their significant and often costly travel expenses to St. Louis for the surgery. To help offset the additional expenses that families will incur during their lengthy stay in St. Louis — sometimes as long as 6-8 weeks — Holy Trinity pays for their lodging, either at the Ronald McDonald House or a local hotel. In addition, our parish community supports families with transportation to and from the airport and appointments and attending Liturgy, as desired.
Our parishioners make regularly scheduled visits to the family, host them in their homes for meals, and provide emotional and socialization support during this stressful time in their lives while far from home the Bishop Nikolaj Velimirovic Fund, which is solely funded by private donations of our Holy Trinity stewards and parishioners, funds these efforts.
These children come to St. Louis in wheelchairs and have never walked in their entire lives. After the surgery and rehab, they come into church and walk down the aisle to take communion. It is an incredible blessing to play a small part in changing the lives of these little ones.
If you would like to donate to the cause, checks can be made out to
The Bishop Nikolaj Velimirovic Fund
So far we helped 32 children, here are some of their pictures:
