In 1962, people of Serbian heritage in the Western USA set out to build a shining center of our culture, community and faith in Jackson, California, the site of the first Serbian Orthodox Christian church in North America. Our goal: to build facilities for a children’s camp, a senior citizen’s home, education and other Serbian cultural and community needs. Their vehicle: the independent incorporat
ion of our group. Today, after over 60 years, the St. Sava Mission Foundation continues to faithfully preserve its Stewardship of this great and vital legacy. With the children’s camp long-built and successful, today our goals remain a Senior Citizen Assisted-Living Home for our people; a Serbian Heritage Museum, Library & Serbian Cultural Center; historical building preservation; student scholarships; sports facilities; and a Serb youth exchange program. These are community and cultural goals that our organization was originally created to achieve in 1962. And, they are needed now more than ever here in the USA. If you support these ideals and goals, please consider becoming a Member or contributing to the Foundation! At its incorporation in 1962, the Corporation became the owner and steward of the St. Sava Mission property in Jackson, Amador County, California (in the Sierra Nevada Mountain foothills, 50 miles east of Sacramento). From its origins, the Corporation has been a membership organization. Members elect a Board of Directors, and the Board selects its corporate Officers. Through the past two generations of change in the world, change in the administration of our Church in north America, and change in the United States and the Old Country, the St. Sava Mission Foundation and its Members have steadfastly and reliably pursued the Purpose, Goals and Objectives of our founders: Serbs in America who wanted simply to preserve Serbian culture and heritage by caring for our elders, our children, and our community in the Western USA. The St. Sava Mission Foundation and its Members and supporters have been selfless, devoted, generous and faithful stewards of the Mission properties for over 60 years. They have raised millions of dollars and donated tens of thousands of work hours to pay off all of the original mortgages, and build and maintain the Mission Camp buildings and Property for over six decades. The continuing use of the property for one of its original Objectives–the Children’s Camp–is a simple and strong testament to what Serbs in America can achieve. Yet, there are important goals that need to be completed, and community needs that remain un-fulfilled that the St. Sava Mission Foundation remains devoted to. Even though Jackson, the USA, and the world have changed much since the 1960’s, and our community continues to evolve, we can see that the original Purpose and Vision of the Corporation are even more important than ever: to support and preserve Serbian culture and communities in the Western USA. If you support these Serbian ideals and goals, please consider becoming a Member or contributing to the Foundation!
