CROWN PRINCESS KATHERINE AND LIFELINE CHICAGO CONTINUE TO ASSIST THE ANTON SKALA SCHOOL

Belgrade, 18 September 2024 – Lifeline Humanitarian Organization of Chicago, which is under the patronage of HRH Crown Princess Katherine, continues its dedication to provide aid for essential institutions. Through The HRH Crown Princess Katherine Foundation, another significant donation was delivered to the Anton Skala Elementary School in Belgrade, Serbia, which is primarily attended by children with autism. 

With a wish to continue supporting the important work of this institution, which has already received several donations from the supporters and benefactors of Lifeline Chicago, the school was just equipped with calming corners for ten additional classrooms, as well as a movable dividing wall that splits the classroom into two rooms. This project was made possible by an incredibly generous donation from the Pittsburgh Tri-State Committee of Lifeline Chicago, a prominent group of steadfast and long-time supporters of Lifeline Chicago.

In March 2023, this school was provided with calming corners for three classrooms.  This most recent donation in 2024 funded the creation of calming corners for an additional ten classrooms.  All ten new calming corners have been equipped with brand new furnishings: a rocking chair, a folding mattress, a room divider that separates the calming corner from the rest of the classroom, a small play rug, and a cabinet with coloured drawers containing educational materials.

The Anton Skala Elementary School was founded in 1964 and, in 1978, was the first school in the Balkans to create a specific department for children with autism in a national education system. This school was named after Anton Skala, one of the founders of the special education school system in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. There are currently about 100 students at this school, which is one of the most respected institutions for the education of students with autism.

“I am very happy that we successfully implemented another important project aimed at helping children, and that they will now have significantly improved learning conditions. I thank Lifeline Humanitarian Organization of Chicago for their willingness to always support and provide for the youngest, and the Pittsburgh Tri-State Committee for this most recent donation. It is crucial that we do what we can to support our children, to ensure that they have good conditions for living, learning, and the best possible childhood.

This donation is intended to help children with autism, and together we all need to support and help them as much as possible so that we jointly create a world of understanding and acceptance. These children do not show their feelings in a way we are used to, but in their hearts, there is love for the entire world which is unconditional and strong. And we owe it to them to return them with the same love”, said HRH Crown Princess Katherine.

“It is always a great pleasure to cooperate with wonderful and good people, in this case, there were indeed many of them, who showed great understanding and provided support for the children with autism who attend our school. This project brought us together to jointly design the best solutions in relation to our current needs and the funds collected.  We would like to thank all the donors who helped equip the school with furniture and other necessary resources: HRH Crown Princess Katherine Foundation, Lifeline Chicago, and its Pittsburgh Tri-State Committee. We are certain that, as before, it will bring joy to many more children like ours, all employees and parents and make their environment more beautiful and their circle of friends richer,” stated Mrs. Natasa Selic Stankovic, Director of The Anton Skala School.