Rotary club Skopje Centar has celebrated 15 years of its establishment. In the address to the audience Milena Perchinkova, President of Rotary Club Skopje-Centar emphasized:

It is with immense pleasure and gratitude that I stand before you today to jointly celebrate this significant milestone of our Rotary Club Skopje – Center. The pleasure is even greater as we celebrate together with our youth branch, Rotaract Skopje – Center, which marks its 10th anniversary this year.

Fifteen years ago, a vision was realized, and a journey of service, fellowship, and community engagement began. The creation of the Rotary Club Skopje – Center was mentored by the oldest RC in the country – RC Skopje and its former president Dimitar Jurukovski, who unfortunately passed away recently. I invite you to honor his memory with a moment of silence.

Glory to him.

Today we gather to celebrate the fruits of our collective efforts and reaffirm our commitment to the ideals of Rotary. As we reflect on the past decade and a half, we cannot help but be overwhelmed by memories of the projects we undertook, the lives we touched, and the connections we forged. From supporting educational and healthcare initiatives to empowering local communities and fostering goodwill internationally, our club has left an indelible mark on society.

Behind every successful project lies the dedication and selflessness of our members. Each of them has given their time, talent, and resources to make a positive difference in the lives of others. It is this spirit of service above self that sets Rotary apart and inspires us to continue our noble mission.

In 2019, our club had 21 members, four of whom were women. For the past 15 years, the charter members of RC Skopje – Center have been Lazar Zakovski, Goce Nanevski, Dane Krstevski, Slavcho Angelovski, Nikolche Petkoski, Natasha Eftimovska, and Gjoko Cvetkov, secretary and treasurer. Today, the club has 32 members, 13 of whom are women. We can proudly say that with the induction of three new members today, women’s participation in our club will be 50%.

Allow me to highlight our club’s role in the Union of Rotary Clubs of Macedonia, where many of our members have been and continue to be actively involved. We have had two coordinators so far, and the next one is already set for the 2025/2026 Rotary year.

In 2014, the Rotary Club Skopje – Center founded the Rotaract Club Skopje – Center and is the sponsor club for Rotary Club Skopje – International, Skopje Vardar 245, Skopje North, and Skopje – West. We are twinned with RC Pristina, Ljubljana Karniola, Zgornji Brnik, Belgrade Metropolitan, and Zagreb Maksimir.

As we celebrate this anniversary, let us also look to the future with optimism and determination. The challenges our world faces are constantly changing, but so are our opportunities to create meaningful change. Let us commit to the founding principles of Rotary – integrity, goodwill, and friendship – as we strive to build a better world for future generations.

I cannot fail to express my deepest gratitude to all those who have supported our club over the years – our partners, sponsors, and community leaders. Special thanks to our District 1912. Your unwavering support has been crucial to our success, and we are deeply grateful for your continued collaboration.

In closing, let us reaffirm our dedication to the Rotary motto “Service Above Self” as we embark on the next chapter of our journey. Together, let us continue to be an inspiration in our communities and catalysts for positive change in the world.

Thank you and let us raise a toast to the next fifteen years of service, fellowship, and the Rotary spirit!