Chicago Triathlon Fundraiser for Bulgaria

We've got a group of guys competing in the Chicago Triathlon on Aug 25, 2019 and we've decided to dedicate our participation in this event to a charitable cause - helping underprivileged kids and struggling communities in Bulgaria. Please help us raise $5k for the America for Bulgaria Foundation and donate to 2 of their projects - a small village school infrastructure project and a tourism development project for the poorest region in Europe.

Appreciate your help!

- Blago Baychev, Ivan Dragantchev, Jeremy Porter, Greg Bernstein

The America for Bulgaria Foundation seeks to enhance the longstanding legacy of goodwill and friendship between the American and Bulgarian people to promote the US – Bulgaria people-to-people contacts. Through its grants and programs, the Foundation represents the generous spirit of the American people and embodies the highest standards of US ethical conduct, transparency, and core values. 

Pathway to the New Science Center at Videlina Elementary School, Seydol Village

Videlina Elementary School in Seydol is a small school hosting 65 students from several minority communities in the Razgrad area. Videlina has developed a new model for educating this diverse body of students. The school has a zoo with 60+ animal species, an ethnographic complex, and a traditional crafts workshop in a building donated by the village community 40 years ago. Driven by the principal’s vision, the school team applied and received funding from ABF for a natural sciences center. Housed in an existing building in the school yard, the center has two classrooms and a lab space with technical and lab equipment, where students receive knowledge and the practical skills needed to succeed in the jobs of the future. ABF will support the construction of an adequate pedestrian access to the STEM center from the courtyard, making the science facility wheelchair accessible and generally accessible for learning purposes. Most of the labor costs will be provided in kind by the village community. 

'Vratsa Open' for the creation of a tourism destination branding

This grant will support the creation of a branding campaign aimed at boosting tourism in Vratsa by highlighting the region’s wealth of natural resources, cultural activities, and amenities. The goal of the project is to change Vratsa’s negative image as the EU’s poorest region and promote the city and its environs as an attractive tourist destination. Project-related activities will help hotels, restaurants, and other businesses increase Vratsa’s tourism revenue. The sustainable growth of the number of tourists to Vratsa will provide a significant boost to the local economy and create opportunities for tourism-related entrepreneurship.