Sanela Diana Jenkins Donates $100,000 to Help Lion Air Flight 610 Victims' Families

Supporting Families of Those Killed in Indonesia Air Disaster is First Project of Jenkins' Newly Formed Sunela Foundation, a Partner of GVNG

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Entrepreneur and philanthropist Sanela Diana Jenkins announced today that she will donate $100,000 to benefit immediate family members of the 189 passengers and crew who were killed in 2018 when Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff in Indonesia.

Jenkins, founder and CEO of Neuro Brands beverage company and a cast member on the television series "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," said she will make the contribution through her new charity, the Sunela Foundation, which is partnering with 501(c)3 nonprofit GVNG.org to raise funds for those in need throughout the world.

"I was not aware of this tragedy until it became a topic of conversation on 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,'" Jenkins said. "I feel so much sympathy for the widows and orphans left behind. I know firsthand the pain and suffering that accompanies the loss of a family member, having lost my brother in the closing days of the Bosnian War. I want to do what I can to support those people who suffered so much."

Anyone who wants to donate to the families of the Lion Air victims will be able to do so through the Sunela Foundation and GVNG. Details about how to contribute will be available soon at www.SunelaFoundation.org.

All donations will be received and secured by GVNG, which will also establish a process for immediate family members of the Flight 610 victims to apply for and receive support. Money raised in this project is completely unrelated to ongoing litigation related to the tragedy.

Born in Sarajevo and raised in a middle-class family, Ms. Jenkins turned a life of hardship into triumph and philanthropy.  She was forced to flee her home after the outbreak of war in 1992 and lived for more than a year as a refugee in Croatia before emigrating to London, where she learned English and graduated with honors with a degree in Computer Science and Economics from City University, London. Today, Diana is a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist and lives in Southern California. She founded functional beverage company Neuro Brands in 2009 and today serves as Chair and CEO of the 100% female-owned and managed company. She is founder and CEO of D Empire Entertainment, a full-service music label. Diana's true passion is philanthropy. She has raised and donated millions of dollars for a variety of causes including human rights, AIDS research and relief efforts in Haiti, Darfur and Bosnia. In 2002, she founded the Irnis Catic Foundation, named after her 21-year-old brother who was killed in the closing days of the Bosnian war. The foundation raised money to improve the quality of life in Bosnia and Herzegovina, rebuilding hospitals, donating modern medical equipment, funding schools, repairing roads and establishing an international justice center to hold war criminals accountable. Jenkins was a substantial contributor and fund raiser for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and launched the Sanela Diana Jenkins Human Rights Project, which advances the human condition in conflict zones and seeks to improve healthcare and end sexual violence. In 2022, she founded the Sunela Foundation, which raises money to support children and families in need throughout the world.

Lion Air Flight 610 departed Jakarta, Indonesia, on October 29, 2018, with the intended destination of Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia. About 13 minutes after takeoff, the Boeing 737 Max crashed into the Java Sea, killing all 189 passengers and crew members on board. It was the deadliest crash in Lion Air's history. The Sunela Foundation is raising funds to provide financial assistance to immediate family members of those who died in the crash.

The Sunela Foundation was founded by Sanela Diana Jenkins in 2022 with the goal of utilizing her resources and platform to help people in need rebuild their lives and create brighter futures. In partnership with GVNG.org, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, the Sunela Foundation raises awareness and funding to support important causes throughout the world. All funds are collected and distributed by GVNG.

GVNG is a movement that empowers corporations, celebrities, and influencers to launch a Digital Nonprofit in 5 minutes or less to create communities of purpose that authentically connect people, brands, and influencers through the shared purpose of solving big world problems. Forbes refers to GVNG as "one of the most revolutionary platforms in the social impact space today" and describes GVNG as the "Shopify for Nonprofits." GVNG's unique Digital Nonprofit-In-A-Box capabilities provide all the benefits of a stand-alone nonprofit organization without the long lead times, heavy overhead costs, and burdensome paperwork of setting up and managing a new nonprofit. The GVNG Digital Nonprofit is administered by GVNGorg, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (a California nonprofit public benefit corporation) and is powered by GVNG Technology, Inc.

SOURCE Sunela Foundation