Friends of Slovakia

November 2, 2012

The members of FOS include Americans with a Slovak heritage, Americans who have developed unusually close ties with Slovakia because of their work or travel, and Slovaks who share the goals of the organization.

Working closely with the Embassy of Slovakia, FOS sponsors public events including presentations on political, eonomic, and cultural affairs as well as art exhibits and other cultural offerings. It hosts numerous distinguished speakers, including ambassadors and government ministers. Several Slovak prime ministers have been guests of FOS, most recently Iveta Radičová who in 2010 delivered the annual Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture co-sponsored by FOS and the American Friends of the Czech Republic in cooperation with the Woodrow Wilson Center.

One of the major efforts of FOS is a summer program that brings young Slovak scholars to the United States where they participate in an academic program at Georgetown University and an internship at an organization or business elsewhere in the country. This provides an excellent experience for these gifted and ambitious young Slovaks, who are well prepared to assume positions of responsibility and leadership upon their return home.

FOS also has several mechanisms for acknowledging men and women whose life and work are in alignment with the organization’s goals. In 2002 I was greatly honored to receive their Medal of Honor during ceremonies recognizing my grandfather, the former prime minister of Czechoslovakia Milan Hodža.

Reciprocally, in 2012 FOS was awarded the Prize of Milan Hodža.

 

Learn more at: http://www.friendsofslovakia.org/

A convenient summary of FOS’s history, goals, and programs in downloadable form is found at:http://www.friendsofslovakia.org/fos/archive/FOS_brochure_2011.pdf

The archived FOS Newsletters paint a vivid picture of the organization’s activities. An example is the celebration of the work of the Peace Corps in Slovakia. Read about it in the FOS Newsletter for Summer, 2011: http://www.friendsofslovakia.org/fos/archive/newsletter22.pdf