Seeing NBA players support one charity or another is a pretty frequent occurrence. Sometimes it seems like something more based on publicity than it does on something straight from the heart, but that's alright: motivation isn't as important as awareness. But everyone knows that the real givers do so behind the scenes and with minimal publicity. So it is that Vlade Divac continues to carry the cross of Serbian refugees, working with his wife to raise money via his foundation, Humanitarian Organization Divac (HOD).
The world may have moved on to bigger and bloodier conflicts, but one former NBA star is staying his ground. Serbia's Vlade Divac, a versatile center in L.A. and Sacramento before his retirement in 2005, has taken on the refugee crisis that continues to plague his home country. Under the banner of "You Can Too," Vlade and his wife have been raising awareness and money to improve the lives of Serbia's 6,748 refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).Divac's Children Foundation is what you'll be donating to if you click the button on the right side of Vlade's home page, and, clearly, it's a worthy cause. Vlade's done similar things to this, as his foundation raised money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. In addition, he holds an annual Celebrity Poker Challenge Benefiting the Lakers Youth Foundation.
Again, though, it's refreshing to see a (former) NBA player carrying on the the same efforts to assist less fortunate people that he had when he played. Oftentimes, I tend to think that some of the donations and charitable appearances that athletes make can come off as shallow and forced. Not the case with Vlade. Although if I find out that my donation funded the European cigarette industry, I'm going to pretty upset.
