{"id":178470,"date":"2025-05-27T08:11:41","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T06:11:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/?p=178470"},"modified":"2025-05-27T08:11:42","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T06:11:42","slug":"tennis-took-me-far-but-not-away-from-my-people-jovan-parlic-and-sama-organize-humanitarian-tournament-in-chicago-for-children-from-serbia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/tennis-took-me-far-but-not-away-from-my-people-jovan-parlic-and-sama-organize-humanitarian-tournament-in-chicago-for-children-from-serbia\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cTENNIS TOOK ME FAR, BUT NOT AWAY FROM MY PEOPLE\u201d: Jovan Parli\u0107 and SAMA Organize Humanitarian Tournament in Chicago for Children from Serbia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On Saturday, May 31, the tennis courts of the University of Illinois Chicago will host a humanitarian tennis tournament with a singular goal: to support the children of Serbia through sportsmanship and solidarity. All proceeds will be directed toward purchasing medical equipment for the Health Centers in Loznica and Bogati\u0107\u2014two rural institutions in Serbia facing significant shortages of modern pediatric care tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tournament is a collaborative effort between tennis coach Jovan Parli\u0107 and the Serbian American Medical Association (SAMA). As the organizers emphasize, the event seeks more than just athletic talent\u2014it aims to foster humanity, which they consider the most important outcome of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jovan Parli\u0107, a tennis player originally from Ni\u0161, Serbia, is currently the men’s tennis coach at UIC. He views the tournament as a fusion of his profession and his mission. \u201cThe idea came from a desire to combine what I love most\u2014tennis and working with young people\u2014with something that can have a broader and deeper impact on the community,\u201d Parli\u0107 explains. \u201cThrough conversations with people from SAMA, we recognized a shared mission: to help Serbia, especially those in rural areas where assistance is most needed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parli\u0107 began his career at the Tennis Club \u201cRadni\u010dki\u201d and later honed his skills in the United States\u2014first at the \u201cOrange Bowl\u201d tournament in Miami, then as a student at the University of Arkansas, and finally as a coach at the renowned \u201cIMG Bollettieri\u201d Academy. Despite his international experience, he remains deeply connected to Serbia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI grew up in Serbia and came to America at 17 in search of a better life,\u201d Parli\u0107 reflects. \u201cToday, as a coach at a major American university, I feel a responsibility to contribute to the country I came from. Helping Serbia is a deeply emotional and moral obligation for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founded in 2009, SAMA’s mission is to unite physicians of Serbian descent in the U.S. and Serbia to improve healthcare conditions in their homeland. Their humanitarian efforts have evolved from modest equipment shipments in the late 1990s to a robust nonprofit organization with numerous projects today.LinkedIn<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSAMA and I share the same idea\u2014to translate the effort and knowledge we’ve gained abroad into help for people from our region,\u201d Parli\u0107 adds. \u201cThat\u2019s why this tournament is more than just a game\u2014it\u2019s a bridge between the diaspora and the homeland.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Open Tournament for All Ages and Skill Levels<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tournament welcomes participants of all ages and skill levels\u2014from recreational players to former competitors. \u201cThe point isn\u2019t just competition; it\u2019s about bringing people together around an important humanitarian cause,\u201d Parli\u0107 notes. \u201cEveryone will have the opportunity to play as many matches as possible and spend quality time on the court in a positive atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Message from Chicago: Everyone Can Help<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When asked what message he would send to the diaspora, athletes, and colleagues, Jovan Parli\u0107 is clear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe everyone can contribute\u2014it doesn\u2019t have to be a large donation. Sometimes, offering your time, knowledge, or energy is enough. Humanitarian work shouldn\u2019t be an exception; it should be part of our daily lives. When we unite, we can accomplish a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, if you’re in Chicago this Saturday\u2014bring your racket and a big heart. This tournament is an opportunity to create a better future for the children of Serbia through the game of tennis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information, registration, and donations: SAMA<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Source<\/strong>: <\/strong>Chicago de\u0161avanja \/ ANA VELJKOVI\u0106, Foto:<\/strong> Privatna arhiva<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Saturday, May 31, the tennis courts of the University of Illinois Chicago will host a humanitarian tennis tournament with a singular goal: to support the children of Serbia through sportsmanship and solidarity. All proceeds will be directed toward purchasing medical equipment for the Health Centers in Loznica and Bogati\u0107\u2014two rural institutions in Serbia facing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2169,"featured_media":178475,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[71,1183,6680,2190,23,6681,6682,91,113,295,252],"class_list":["post-178470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diaspora","tag-amerika","tag-cikago-3","tag-humanitarni-turnir","tag-ilinois","tag-sad","tag-sama","tag-serbian-american-medical-association","tag-sport","tag-srbija","tag-srpska-dijaspora","tag-tenis","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Serbiantimes.info EN","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2169"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178470"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":178501,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178470\/revisions\/178501"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/178475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}