The National Federation of Croatian Americans Cultural Foundation (NFCACF) celebrated its 30^th anniversary on June 3^rd in Washington, D.C. As a national umbrella organization, the NFCACF was founded in Chicago in September 1993.  The NFCACF continues to be a strong advocate for the Croatian American community, especially in American politics and diplomacy, thanks to the charter that was ratified by twenty Croatian American groups. Over the last decade, the organization has undertaken many innovative cultural and educational projects of great interest to the community.

The Assembly of Delegates of the NFCACF met this time with 28 delegates from a dozen Croatian American organizations to discuss a wide range of issues. Initiatives, such as the Congressional Croatian Caucus, the NFCACF-Croatian Fraternal Union (CFU), Croatian American Sports Hall of Fame (CAS-HOF), the new Youth Committee, the Art Donation Committee, and the History Speaker Series were a few of the major topics discussed. At the delegate's meeting, the following Executive Committee officers were elected: Steve Rukavina-President, Biljana Lovrinovic-Abel, Executive Vice President, and three Vice Presidents: John Kraljic, Mario Spalatin, and Ron Zivic. National Treasurer Adam Radman was re-elected as the National Treasurer, and also, were Anna Maria Sicenica-Secretary and Mark Plavetic-Assistant Secretary, and with Officers-At-Large Bernadette Luketich-Sikaras and Carolyn Bruno.  There were seventeen Board Members elected too on Saturday.

As a result of his incredible dedication to the NFCACF since its founding in 1993, Dr. Joseph Cindrich received the first ever "NFCACF Legacy Award." The award was given to Dr. Cindrich for his service as former NFCACF president in 1998 and six-term member of the board. Unfortunately, Dr. Joseph Cindrich was unable to attend the event in person, but upon receiving the news at his home in Menlo Park, CA, he expressed his gratitude, stating, "As a dedicated Croatian, I was very proud in being co-founder the establishment of National Federation of Croatian Americans in the 1990s and later served as its President." Dr. Cindrich was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 for his assistance to the Republic of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and for all his Croatian activism, including his many years on the Board of Directors of the Croatian Scholarship Fund (CA). NFCACF president, Steve Rukavina, expressed his group's intention to annually recognize and pay tribute to Croatian American activists who played a crucial role in the establishment of our national umbrella organization. 

The NFCACF Anne Pavlich "Volunteer of the Year" award was presented to Joe Brajevich (San Pedro CA) for his contribution to the NFCACF Special Olympics Committee. The amount of funds raised by him set a record for Croatia's Special Olympics organization and were used to fully sponsor Croatia's twenty-member delegation at the Summer World Games in Berlin, Germany, which begins on June 17th with 7,500 athletes from 140 countries.

A public session was held in the afternoon featuring the Croatian Ambassador Pjer Simunovic (US-Croatian Alliance), as well as Professor Edward P. Joseph of Johns Hopkins-SAIS (Southeast Europe regional issues); Sherry Ricchiardi (War Journalism/Croatia 1991), Richard Lolich (Croatian American Sports HOF and its inaugural ceremony in Cleveland in October 2022), Joe Foley (Washington Report-Congressional Croatian Caucus), and Steve Rukavina, NFCACF President ("40 Highlights Over 30 Years").

In celebration of this milestone anniversary, the NFCACF held a reception at the Croatian Embassy on Saturday night. The Cosmopolitan Grill catered the meal for the sixty guests, while Croatian Premium Wines provided Croatian wines, including Malvazija and Plavac Mali. Speakers at the evening reception included Michael Sawkiw from the Ukrainian Congress of America, and Pulitzer Prize winner Roy Gutman (author of A Witness to Genocide). During the Embassy reception, Maya Brlecic, an internationally acclaimed pianist from Zagreb, played to fill the air with celebration music while Croatian wine smiles flourished.

Photos: NFCACF & Sanja Bogovic

April 7, 2022 - It is with great appreciation that the National Federation of Croatian Americans Cultural Foundation (NFCA) applauds the United States today, April 7, for its strategic recognition thirty years ago of the Republic of Croatia as a new independent nation-state in the international community. 

It was January 1992, while a third of Croatia was still occupied by the Yugoslav People’s Army, that both the European Economic Community and the United Nations granted diplomatic recognition to the Republic of Croatia.  

The United States recognized the Republic of Croatia as a newly independent nation on April 7, 1992.  However, it was not until May 22, 1992 that three of the five dissolved states of the former Republic of Yugoslavia were admitted to the United Nations: Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Soon thereafter, the US Consulate General in Zagreb gained the status of an official Embassy on August 25, 1992.  The first US Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia was Peter Galbraith and the former diplomat remains a good friend to this day of the NFCA.

NFCA Board Members including Ed Pazo and former U.S. Senator Mark Begich with US Ambassador to Croatia, Bob Kohorst (2017)

The President of the NFCA, Steve Rukavina, noted on this significant anniversary that:  "I am so proud to acknowledge that over the past thirty years the Republic of Croatia and the United States have constructed extremely strong and reliable bilateral relations and within the NATO alliance framework too.  The continued success in Croatia of building a sustainable secure democracy and market-oriented society should be further commended."  

The NFCA’s Executive Vice President, Andrea Novak Neumann, added: "Croatia's establishment as an independent country in 1992 against great odds was a phenomenal geo-political achievement, which our Croatian American community so proudly supported from the beginning.  Croatia's full ascension into the NATO Alliance was the next milestone achievement.  This strategically important multilateral defensive organization via that Treaty’s Article 5 collective defense provisions has protected the Republic of Croatia from further invasions."  

The NFCA provided valuable strategic assistance in shepherding the NATO Treaty through the US Senate, which eventually endorsed Croatia’s full membership in 2009.  Croatia became the 28th European Union member in July 2013.  This additional international achievement further signified Croatia's established and growing geo-strategic importance in the pivotal Southeast Europe region.

NFCA delegation meeting with US Ambassador Julieta Valls Noyes at the State Department, 2015.

The Croatian American community remains extremely proud of Croatia's development of its respected, stable democracy and its role in Southeast Europe as a rock solid NATO ally.  In tribute, Trubaduri, the popular Croatian pop music band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has recorded and released a new song.  It commemorates the 30^th anniversary of the end of the siege of Dubrovnik and the formal recognition by the US of Croatia as an independent and reliably Western-oriented nation in world affairs.  The song, “The White Knight”, will be previewed at an NFCA celebration reception on April 7th in Washington, DC, to further honor this milestone US-Croatia anniversary date!

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