Ever since BGO was established, we have been aiming at accomplishing and doing something meaningful, something good for the society. Proceeding from the fact that we are an organization created by and working with people, we have always sought to develop our business to an extent which could enable us to change the environment and to influence others. There is no ideal time for a person to start engaging in charity events. But we decided to start now.
Mission
Taking on the initiative to improve the life of underprivileged people, we transformed the idea of building a charity foundation into reality. This dream turned into reality in January 2015 and has been a great success for everyone involved. “With Love for Bulgaria” Foundation started operations in the Municipality of Stara Zagora and is currently expanding to other cities in Bulgaria. The mission of our charity activities is to create equal chances and opportunities for those members of our society that were not given those privileges by default. The philosophy of this undertaking is simple but very significant and life-changing at the same time. We are the ones that shape the world that we live in and we believe the ones who are able to help, must do it for the ones that are in need.
What we have done so far
Since the charity foundation started operations, we have organised a number of events that are in-line with our goals and vision. The very first campaign that we initiated was a Christmas one and we collected presents and sweets for the children from all orphanages in Stara Zagora. It was a great success, that we collected donations from 21 companies and 496 individual contributors. Ivan Lekushev, BGO Software Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and co-founder of the charity foundation, commented:
“That was an amazing beginning. Ever since we started to work we realized that, in fact, we were changing lives for better. We are grateful that we can communicate and be close to these amazing children. We do not do it out of obligation. Instead, we are grateful to have the opportunity to do it, because these kids are special. It’s about the little things that really have the greatest significance after all.”
The most recent charity event was held on 20.07.2015. We organised a day of sports activities and lunch with special guests being the winners of the Bulgarian edition of the TV show MasterChef. Our guests cooked a barbeque for 250 children from all orphanages in the region. Moreover, there were over 50 volunteers that helped us organise this wonderful event. Previous charity events include:
- 09.04.2015 – Easter Campaign – an Easter-themed charity event brought together football players from PFC Beroe who gave away sweets to 65 children.
- 01.04.2015 – First Spring – During this event, children deprived of parental care were given an opportunity to meet many volunteers engaged in different sport activities.
- 30.05 and 31.05.2015 – Children’s Day for Every Child – “With Love for Bulgaria” Foundation organized special picnic-days with a lot of entertaining activities for children deprived of parental care.
- 20.5.2015 – we organised a free IT course for children, to introduce them to the world of Internet, computers and all the unlimited possibilities that technology gives us access to.
Other major project that we are proud of is the Home Kitchen, where we organised a fund raising campaign, to build a specialised kitchen in the biggest home for disabled people in the region of Stara Zagora. The project was successfully completed in June 2015.
Finally, the Foundation established an Academy named Equal Start which has the goal to:
- Prepare and qualify underprivileged children and youth in different activities
- Encourage young people with mental disabilities and give them a better start for future development plans;
- Give them an opportunity to be taught by professionals and to learn from their expertise, knowledge and skills;
- Reassure them that whatever their disability or problem is, they have equal chances of succeeding;
- Make sure that underprivileged children and young people are better accepted in society and help people around them understand the problems and difficulties of these children;
Acknowledging the fact that there are children and young people who are not given a chance to develop and unveil their potential, the “With Love for Bulgaria” Foundation has the purpose to create a valuable and meaningful life for such children. We want to give them a much brighter future of opportunities without limiting their capabilities and desire to prosper. Thus, “With Love for Bulgaria” is not just a foundation. It is rather a platform which allows anyone to contribute and take part in all kinds of projects and causes. Our policy is that a certain percentage of our profit goes directly to help the Foundation.
This is not a corporate social responsibility. This is human responsibility.
