The responsible business community has supported causes in education and healthcare
The 12th Annual Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum (BBLF) Charity Ball was filled with many positive emotions and great atmosphere.For another year, the responsible business community supported important causes in education and healthcare. We are glad that we were also part of this good cause, which set a new record for collected funds. In fact, the biggest donor was the presenter Alexander Kadiev, to whom Maxim Behar applied a ruthless „tactical grip“ at the end of the evening. We congratulate and thank the Board of the Forum, George Ruitchev and his great team for their efforts and wonderful organization of the evening. It is an honor and a privilege for us to be part of the BBLF family.
More about the event:
The Responsible Business Community has once again reunited to support causes in two of the most important areas of public life – education and healthcare. The mayor of Sofia – Yordanka Fandakova and Eva Maydell – member of the European Parliament, took part in the Annual Charity Ball of the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum (BBLF), held for the 12th time on February 4th, 2020. More than 80 responsible business representatives from over 40 companies raised over BGN 43,000 through a charity auction and raffle with collectibles and exclusive experiences provided pro bono by the companies-members, partners and followers of the Forum. The partners of the event at Hotel Balkan were M3 Communications Group and Gallery Loran.
What drew the most interest during the auction was the visit to the IBM Innovation Center for Artificial Intelligence in Munich and a meeting with its manager provided by Eva Maydell. There was also a contested bidding for the works of Vladimir Dimitrov-Maystora (the Master), Lika Yanko and Ilia Petrov; the new book by Maxim Behar – board member of the Forum; vouchers for luxury hotels; original items provided by foreign ambassadors in Sofia. The atmosphere of the evening was set by a musical surprise – members of the Board of the Forum made a live performance of a Beatles’ song and received the rousing ovation of the hall. The actor Alexander Kadiev contributed to the emotions, he not only hosted the auction but also became a donor – he will hold creative meetings with the teams of several companies that have offered the highest amount for his time.
The guests of the gala evening were welcomed by the Chairman of the Forum Levon Hampartzoumian. “The active and responsible part of the business has a huge contribution to the building of not only a working and strong economy, but also of a developed and solidarity society. To ensure continuity of our efforts, this year the BBLF Ball will continue its support for two initiatives that unite us all for the sake of our better common future,” he said.
Half of the amount raised during the Ball will support the Breast Cancer Prevention Program together with Sofia Municipality and a number of hospitals, which the BBLF has assisted from its beginning. Mayor Yordanka Fandakova stressed that the Forum was among the first partners of the initiative and noted that for five years over 26,000 women had undergone free examinations. “I am proud that Sofia has one of the largest prevention initiatives,” she added. Dr. Gergana Kolarova, Executive Director of First Specialized Obstetric and Gynecological Hospital for Active Treatment “St. Sofia “, who emphasized: “On World Cancer Day – February 4th – it is crucial that we actively engage in prevention and thus truly save lives.”
The second part of the proceeds from the evening will support the groundbreaking Management Academy for School Principals, which pilot edition in 2019 was funded by the Ball. The project is under the patronage of the Minister of Education and Science Krasimir Valchev and is implemented by Education Bulgaria 2030, and Eva Maydell, who is also the co-founder of the association, presented the achieved results and the forthcoming expansion of the initiative. “The change in one school depends mostly on the person who manages it and on his/her leadership skills. Therefore, I would like to thank BBLF for recognizing for a second consecutive year the need for businesses to share its successful practices and tools with Bulgarian principals within the framework of the Management Academy for School Principals of Education Bulgaria 2030,” she said.
