ALEM HADZIC IS hoping to raise funds for the Red Cross for its work in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina through a few initiatives, including an on-campus soccer tournament this spring. Hadzic is a junior at Middlebury College, where he plays on the varsity men’s soccer team.
Photo courtesy of Alem Hadzic

MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury College junior Alem Hadzic has always had a strong connection to his Bosnian heritage.

“I’m a first-generation college student. My parents were refugees from the Bosnian War,” he said during a recent interview. “They came to this country as refugees and started a new life here, and so I’ve always grown up in an environment where I am directly exposed to the culture of Bosnia, traditions, as well as the history of it, especially with the war that went on.”

Originally from Skokie, Ill., Hadzic said he grew up visiting the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina each summer, where some of his relatives live.

“Even though I don’t live there, I understand from a solid lens how life is there and the difficulties that can often happen in the country,” he told the Independent.

With that in mind, Hadzic has launched a fundraising effort aimed at supporting the country’s people. He’s looking to raise $10,000 for the Red Cross in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a constituent of the international humanitarian network that works to help respond to current needs in the European country and address the aftermath of the Bosnian War.

He’s started a GoFundMe campaign, which had raised almost $3,000 as the Independent went to press on Wednesday. Hadzic is also looking to raise funds through a couple other initiatives — running the 2025 RBC Brooklyn Half Marathon in May and organizing a soccer tournament on campus.

He said the multipronged fundraising effort blends his love for Bosnia with a couple of his other interests: sports and medicine.

Hadzic is a pre-med student studying molecular biology and biochemistry at the college. Outside of the classroom, he volunteers at Porter Medical Center in the emergency department. Hadzic also plays forward on the college’s varsity men’s soccer team.

He said he initially reached out to several organizations with the fundraising idea and ultimately got connected with the Red Cross.

“I was lucky enough to be the first member of the Bosnian diaspora to have an initiative like this for the Red Cross,” he said. “It’s been a wonderful experience. It’s been a lot to set it up, but now that we’re running, it’s really amazing.”

Hadzic is working to coordinate a 3-versus-3 soccer tournament on campus that would engage the student body and raise additional funds for the Red Cross. He said he’s still ironing out the details but hopes to host the tournament on a Saturday in April.

The event would be open to Middlebury College students and potentially the broader community, if possible.

He’s also preparing to run the RBC Brooklyn Half Marathon this spring. The 13.1-mile race runs throughout the New York City borough and will take place on May 17.

What motivated Hadzic to take part in the race?

“Contrary to popular belief, I’m a soccer player, but I hate running,” he said. “But, I think about all the struggles and the difficulties that underserved communities have all across the world. In Bosnia, for example, some communities and families don’t have access to food, health resources, and the Red Cross works to help those individuals.”

“It’s kind of motivation for me,” he continued. “I get the luxury of running a half marathon to represent the people that have more difficult circumstances in their lives to make a positive impact on their lives.”

He noted the race also provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the cause.

“Last year, there were 18,000 finishers in this half marathon, so if I’m running for Bosnia, if I’m running for my culture, my ethnic identity, that’s a great way to tell people about it,” he said. “You’re running with someone and you just talk to them about what you’re doing and you’ve raised awareness for it.”

Those looking to stay updated on Hadzic’s fundraising efforts can visit the GoFundMe page and his Instagram page (alemm.mh).

Through the initiative, Hadzic’s looking forward to connecting with people around the world and seeing how social media can be used to inspire change.

“There’s a lot of conflicts that are occurring, and so how can we find ways to engage others and make the world a better place,” he said. “I’ve gotten messages from people from the Red Cross in Fiji, people from all over the world, and it’s very interesting to see how we can connect through that.”

He’s hopeful about the impact of the fundraising effort and glad the contributions of those taking part in the initiative will ultimately go toward supporting families and communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“The more we can raise, the more we can help, the more we can contribute,” Hadzic said.