Vladimir Radmanovic's Official Website

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By Courtney Merfeld

The Perfect 10 Model.  Have you ever met one who stands 6-foot-10 and weighs 235 pounds?  Or one who can assault opponents with a deadly three-point shot?  How about one who uses past pains and experiences to unselfishly better the lives of others?

Meet Vladimir Radmanovic, founder of the Vladimir Radmanovic Children’s Foundation that supports orphans in both the United States and Serbia.  Packaged as No. 10 on the Los Angeles Lakers, Radmanovic is not only a gift to his team, but a gift to the tens of thousands of children who identify him as their role model because their lives have been enriched by his love and compassion.

Vladimir Radmanovic has been a model to Los Angeles since the day he joined the L.A. Lakers on July 12, 2006.  He instantly became active in the Los Angeles division of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)and participated in ”Snowflake Lighting,”  an event which symbolizes hope, peace, and compassion while raising millions of dollars for at-risk children around the world.  Furthermore, Radmanovic hosted “Giving Tree,” a Christmas- time tradition which benefits Children Uniting Nations, a non-profit organization mentoring children in areas such as self esteem and life skills.

As a contributor to numerous fundraising and mentoring activities, Radmanovic claims his favorite experience has been at Five Acres in Altadena, CA.  “One of the facilities was for physically and mentally disabled kids, whom I never had contact with, so I didn’t know what to expect.  Once I got there and spent some time with them, it was so great.  The kids are really lovely, lovely human beings.  It’s amazing there, and all the kids need help.”

Help is what Radmanovic does best.  If it isn’t on the court with his Lakers teammates, it is at his own week-long instructional basketball camp in Santa Monica, CA, or at orphanages around the world, most recently in Veternik and Zvecanska, Serbia.  Radmanovic connects with young children in unfortunate circumstances because he has first hand testimonies of what losing everything is like.

As a child growing up in war torn Yugoslavia, Radmanovic himself was a beneficiary of UNICEF’s outreach, which is partly why he works with the organization teaching children about its positive impact worldwide. “During the war, you leave everything you have, your whole family and everything else, and just go out into the unknown,” he said.  He was lucky because his travels into the “unknown” were with his mother and sister, but his father wasn’t present because he was called into war.  “We spent four years without my father, and we were just going all over the place… an experience you can only have once in a lifetime.  I didn’t lose any close relatives or family during the war, but I know a lot of people who did, especially kids,” Radmanovic said.

This once-in- a- lifetime experience propelled Radmanovic toward a lifetime of changing young children’s life experiences everywhere.  Starting the Vladimir Radmanovic Children’s Foundation was one way Radmanovic felt he could make a difference. “I think they (orphan children) are going to need the most help, which is why I started the foundation,” Radmanovic stated.  “It’s not only back there (in Yugoslavia), but it’s all over the world.  Kids here in the United States, they all need help too.”  And that is exactly what his foundation seeks to do.  Help the less fortunate everywhere.

The most recent event aiding Radmanovic’s foundation was held was on November 7, 2007, entitled, “Crossing Oceans for Children.” The event specifically benefited orphan children in Serbia-Montenegro. Radmanovic feels children aren’t the only beneficiaries of his foundation. “I just want people to donate because they feel like donating.  I don’t care how much it is … 5 cents or 5 ‘zillion’ dollars … you’re going to help somebody’s life.  Whatever you have, or whatever you feel you should do, you will feel good about it,” he explained.

Take it from somebody with experience.  Radmanovic demonstrates that it will come full circle.  Once a beneficiary of UNICEF, Radmanovic is now contributing to the organization.  Once a war-torn child without a home, Radmanovic is now providing refuge for at-risk children.  Currently No. 10 with the Los Angeles Lakers, Radmanovic is still The Perfect 10 Model.