Preparing home-cooked food is a ritual that combines curiosity and anticipation, diligence and mastering new skills. A ritual that in our centers is very important for both the teams of social workers and for the young people in our care, who are never indifferent to the menu, the products and the way the meals are served at home.

For the second year in a row, we set a goal to raise funds for the youth’s favorite culinary workshops, part of our Occupational therapy program. In these workshops, our young adults have the opportunity to experiment with new recipes, learn new techniques and, last but not least, have a delicious meal which they have cooked themselves. The varied textures and flavors have a stimulating effect on the senses and working with dough calms and improves motor skills. There is great excitement waiting for the fresh bread to come out of the oven and decorating the table brings smiles and pride. We teach the youths to create their own menus, follow recipes and choose the appropriate utensils for different dishes.
We need 5,000 BGN to provide the upcoming 12 culinary workshops. The Cook With Me campaign will be raising funds during the months of April and May so that the young people can build on their skills in the kitchen again this year.

Support the campaign and let’s work together to provide the next culinary adventure for our young people.

We are looking for an energetic, proactive and responsible person to support the work of the Fundraising and Communications team in our head office in Sofia. The position is permanent and full-time. And as we want our new colleague to be good at communicating with foreign partners, anyone interested in joining the team can read our terms and conditions below:

Fundraising and Communications Coordinator

The Cedar Foundation is hiring a Fundraising and Communications Coordinator for its central office in Sofia. We are looking for a responsible, passionate and proactive person who:

• Participates in the implementation of the Fundraising and Communications strategies of the foundation;
• Assists in the planning and implementation of fundraising events by ensuring logistical support and communication with partners;
• Supports the management of the organization’s crowdfunding platforms and the promotion of its online fundraising campaigns;
• Assists in the implementation and reporting of the foundation’s regular giving programs;
• Maintains the foundation’s website;
• Is responsible for the visual creation and mailing of newsletter and mass emails;
• Supports the team in content creation regarding the foundation’s activities.

The successful candidate meets the following requirements:

• Very good command of the English language (both written and oral) – minimum B2 level;
• Strong desire to promote the foundation’s cause to various audiences;
• Advanced computer skills – Word, Excel, Power Point;
• Experience with WordPress, MailChimp and various design platforms such as Canva will be considered an advantage;
• University degree;
• Unquestionable ethics and personal integrity;
• Responsible, committed to growing and maintaining good partner relations;
• Passionate for social causes;
• Team player, open communicator, not afraid to share ideas.

We offer a labor contract, career development opportunities, a competitive salary, and a friendly work environment.

The position is full-time and based in Sofia with irregular travel in Bulgaria.

All interested candidates should send a CV and a Motivation letter in English to adriana@cedarfoundation.org by Feb 13, 2022 .

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Between 15 September and 15 October 2021, Pizza Lab was running a campaign called “Learn and Succeed” to support our work. It aimed to raise at least 3,000 BGN to provide lessons and school supplies to disadvantaged children and contribute to their better future.

As part of the campaign, Pizza Lab customers donated 1 BGN through every Choco pizza purchased and the organizers doubled the amount. Donation boxes placed in Pizza Lab locations gave those who wished the opportunity to donate bigger amounts of money. Finally we raised a total of 3,195 BGN in support of our cause, which will be used to provide textbooks, exercise books, support materials and extra lessons for pupils at one of our centers.

Children who grow up outside their families are the most vulnerable and at risk of dropping out of the education system. They often need extra help and psychological support to cope with falling behind with learning material. We would like to thank our friends at Pizza lab and all their customers who have lent a hand to the students in our centres and contributed to raising the necessary funds.

For the second time around the start of the school year, the sweet pizzas on the Pizza Lab menu are being offered to support our cause. In 2019, we ran the “Choco Pizza for a Good Cause” campaign together, and the funds raised then again supported children and young people living away from their families.

On 29 September 2021, we held the hybrid charity event “Sky is the limit” in support of children and young people with disabilities and those deprived of parental care. The aim was to draw attention to disadvantaged children and the barriers they face, and also to bring together supporters of the cause and donors to join forces to create new opportunities for the most vulnerable.

The event was held at the Hilton Hotel, and was streamed live on our Facebook page, allowing participants from different countries and cities to attend and lend their support.

“Most of you know that the children we care for have been through a lot. They know the limitations from early childhood – from limited contact with their parents, to limited access to proper education and medical care, to the limited and stereotypical attitudes of people in our society. The good news is that for the past 16 years, we have been there for them. But they also have your support, which makes sure that the organization has the resources and staff it needs to continue its mission.” With these words, Iva Hadzhiyska, Director of Fundraising and Communications, welcomed guests live and online. Vanya Stratieva, Program Director of the Foundation, added: “We are here for them – to hug and listen to them, to take care of them when they are sick or have problems at school. To encourage them when they learn to read or how to eat with a spoon. And every day we work beyond labels, think outside the box and do all we can to provide a safe home and raise happy young people. It’s hard, but we’re happy and proud with every small victory, every step after months of physical therapy, every new skill learned by the children in our centres. For us, there are no limits to our efforts to improve the lives of disadvantaged children.“

Following these powerful words, attendees of the event also had the opportunity to see the moving story of one of the youth in our care and support the cause through various methods of giving, some of which included a charity prize draw with attractive prizes, a silent auction with unique photographs donated by artists to support the cause and a direct donation to a specific need.

Hosting the program for the third consecutive year was actor and activist Stefan A. Shtereff. The good atmosphere was provided by the musicians from Paraplanner.

United, live and online, the supporters of the cause managed to raise over 78 000 leva. They will be used to provide a family environment and specialized support for over 100 children and young people deprived of parental care or with severe intellectual disabilities living in the centers we manage. In order to provide quality individual care for a period of one year, our organization needs a minimum of 600 000 leva.

Anyone wishing to support disadvantaged children can do so on the donation platform, which will be open until 8 October 2021.

The costs for the organization of the event are covered thanks to the sponsors and partners: CMS Sofia, Hilton Sofia, America for Bulgaria Foundation, AG Capital, Komunitas Foundation, Dundee Precious Metals. The raffle prizes were kindly provided by Gela Hotel, Wooden spoon, Sircrow, Gelato&Latte, Amuse Bouche, Dabov Specialty Coffee, Yoga Vibe and Modica Artisan Chocolates. Media partners of the event are.

At a time of constraints caused by Covid-19, our charity event “Sky is the limit” is bringing society’s attention to the most vulnerable – children with disabilities and the barriers they face throughout their lives. Creating opportunities in a situation where they are severely limited by external factors is a real challenge, and for our team this is yet another case of changing and adapting working processes to provide the best care for disadvantaged children and young people.

For our team, constraints are an occasion to search for new horizons – untried methods and approaches, both in our work with children and in our fundraising processes. Our organization has been working with this perspective for 16 years and each fall holds its charity event to support children who have grown up with various labels and diagnoses. The limitations imposed in the last 2 years further motivate us to look for new options to support using new technologies. Thus, for the second year in a row, our traditional charity ball will be held in a hybrid format. It is titled Sky is the limit and will allow participation from different parts of the world.

An online fundraising campaign is launched before the event and the culmination is on 29 September at 7:30pm – with a small number of live participants and an online broadcast on our Facebook page. We invite people from anywhere in the world to support our cause and get involved through a specially designed donation platform that provides an easy way to support with just a few clicks. The platform is available and accepting donations throughout the month of September.

“Creating opportunities for underprivileged children has been a goal of the organization since its establishment. We are proud and happy to see the results of these efforts. A child with a physical disability walks despite a severe diagnosis, a youth who grew up in an institution becomes a student despite a high risk of dropping out of the education system – stories like these give us the strength to continue beyond limitations.

But to do that, we need support – systemic, year-round support. The pandemic has created many new difficult situations and challenges for us and our teams. The uncertainties and financial difficulties faced by businesses and individuals affect us too, and the need for support remains so that we can ensure high quality care. We invite everyone who is willing to change the fate of vulnerable children and young people and create opportunities for a better life to support us in September.”

The pre-campaign includes several interesting ways to support the cause – some of them completely new for Bulgaria, but widely used in countries with a developed philanthropic culture. You can make a direct donation for a specific need – e.g. for physiotherapy, psychological support, a specially designed wheelchair, educational materials, etc. Or you can purchase tickets for the charity raffle with attractive items such as a weekend in the mountains, organic cosmetics, custom business clothing, an annual yoga subscription, etc. You can also bid in a silent auction for professional art photography by a Bulgarian artist, donated to support the cause.

All organizational costs of the event are covered thanks to our partners and sponsors who stand behind our cause, even in this difficult time for any business or individual. These are the gold sponsors CMS Sofia, Hilton Sofia, America for Bulgaria Foundation, Communitas Foundation, silver sponsors Dundee Precious Metals, AG Capital, raffle partners Hotel Gela, DABOV Specialty Coffee, Sircrow, Wooden spoon, Gelato & Latte, Amuse Bouche, Yoga Vibe, Modica Artisan Chocolate and the silent auction partners with art photographs Violeta Apostolova – Letty, Natalia Novachkova, Miya Popovic, Simeon Sulov and Kiril Prodanov and Photosynthesis. Drinks for the event are provided by Pernod Ricard and Boutique Winery Georgiev Brothers.

In mid-July, after more than a year of no travelling due to the pandemic, the youth from one of our family centers in Kazanluk had the great opportunity to visit Veliko Tarnovo. This
happened thanks to a business lady from the city and her clients. Mrs Nedyalka Bangieva
suggested putting a donations box in her shop, and with the help of her clients, she managed to collect the resources for this excursion with which she hoped to make the children and adolescents in our centers happy.
Affected by this inspiring example of Mrs Bangieva, her client, Jemile Kasabova, and others who took part in the initiative collected resources for a two-day trip to Veliko Tarnovo, which involved cultural, historical, and natural landmarks.

The excursion to our old capital inspired a lot of positive emotions and impressions. The youth visited the museum “Zatvor” (Prison), the Multimedia Center “Carevgrad Tarnov”, the museum “Konstancalieva Kushta”, the architectural-museum reserve “Tsarevets”, the park “Mini Bulgaria”, and the Ethnographic Museum “Etara.” During their visit, they had the opportunity to learn about Bulgarian history, culture, and lifestyle; to meet knew people; to see places beyond their knowledge.

We are happy that all of the participants went home content, with new inspiration and
knowledge. We would like to thank everyone who donated and the ladies who took their time to
make this trip happen. We believe that this act of goodness is infectious and attracts people, but the most important outcome is the example given to these children.

Let’s do it for children! With these words and motivating shouts, the popular actors Alexander Alexiev, Stoyan Doychev, Yana Marinova and the gymnast Hristiyana Todorova cheered on the participants of the Cedar team, who took part in the epic Legion run on July 3, 2021.

4 tons of ice, a 15-meter high wall, terrains with barbed wire, hardly passable mud, dark tunnels and lots and lots of mud – these were just some of the obstacles along the 5-kilometer route that the Cedar Legion, including celebrities and people who bought donation tickets, overcame in support of the cause “Mentoring Program for Children and Youth at Risk”.

The program is an integral part of the comprehensive family-centered care the foundation provides to children and youth in its services. Children learn by example and follow behaviour patterns adopted by their parents and loved ones. For children who have grown up outside their families however,, building strong relationships and trust is extremely challenging. Frequent changes of home, school and surroundings deprive them of a sense of belonging and security and make them anxious and suspicious. Creating strong and sustainable relationships is a challenge that must be overcome daily with care, perseverance and patience. With its Mentoring Program, our organisation supports children and youth with making decisions related to their academic performance, career guidance, and important personal issues related to their emotional health and social lives.

“I participated in the Legion Run in support of the Cedar Foundation because I believe that when there is a cause, the meaning is greater. It was epic and a little muddy. It’s worth your time to support them too,” urged Alexander Alexiev.

Stoyan Doychev also shared his feeling about the experience, “I am very happy with my participation because I was able to face one of my fears and conquer it. The biggest victory, however, will be that many more people will find out about what the Cedar Foundation is doing and will help the children”.

You can also buy a charity ticket to support the cause on July 10 here. 20 leva from each donation ticket goes to support the children, and Legion Run doubles the amount.

The Cedar Foundation would like to thank the organizers, celebrities and all the team members for their support.

Legion Run participants will run alongside celebrities to provide psychological support and personal development assistance to children without parental care.

In this year’s edition of Legion run on July 3, a star team will cross the route, running with an important mission – to support the “Mentoring program for children and youth at risk” to help children deprived of parental care in the centres of the Cedar Foundation.

Alongside the organizers of Legion Run, actors Julian Vergov, Alexander Alexiev, Yana Marinova, athletes Hristiana Todorova and Eva Yaneva are behind the mission. They will join forces with all the athletes who bought a charity ticket for the Legion of Cedar to help raise funds for children and young people deprived of parental care. By purchasing a charity ticket in support of the Cedar Foundation, each participant will contribute BGN 20 to the cause and the organisers will double the amount raised. Thus, 40 leva from the value of each ticket sold will be donated to support the children, and the participants will overcome the route of the challenges side by side with the celebrities.

“When fate has taken something from you, it is important to understand what else it has given you. That’s how you realise what your role is in this life. And only if you fulfil it and contribute to other people’s lives can you feel happy. The rest is mere survival. Buying a donation ticket to the Legion is just a small gesture on the part of anyone who prefers to be helpful to others and inspired to achieve the difficult goals in life themselves. Why the hard ones!? Because they are the real ones, the ones who never betray you” – with these words Yana Marinova urges everyone to turn their participation into a cause and join the Legion of Cedar.

The mentoring program of the Cedar Foundation is an integral part of the complex family care that the organization provides to the children and youth in its centres. Children learn by example and follow patterns of behaviour adopted from parents and/or relatives. For children who have grown up outside their families, building stable relationships and trust is extremely challenging. Frequent changes of home, school and surroundings deprive them of a sense of belonging and security and make them anxious and suspicious. “Creating strong and sustainable relationships is a challenge that must be overcome daily with great care, perseverance and patience. We support children and young people in making decisions related to their academic performance, career guidance, and important personal issues related to their emotional health and social lives. In this way, we help them grow into independent and confident individuals who will one day be able to take their place in society. Buy a donation ticket, let’s overcome the obstacles together and set an example and show responsibility, and a community united for a meaningful cause”, urges Iva Hadzhiyska, Director of Fundraising and Communications.