“I would like to present the cause of Cedar Foundation, which, of all the ones I have seen in Bulgaria in recent years, comes closest to pure good. So I wondered what to come up with instead of gifts and suggested we support them. These are underprivileged children, born with problems, abandoned by their families, cared for by a group of girls and boys. They don’t have any back up other than the help of people like us. So thank you all for helping them.”

Ivo Prokopiev

“We will remember the Indian summer of 2019 with one huge and incredible event – our wedding – one of the happiest days of our lives. After the euphoria though, we thought that we would like others to also remember this Indian summer with something nice – others, who do not have the opportunities and the luck we have always had. That is why we decided to donate part of the money we got as wedding gifts to the Cedar Foundation. We chose them, because we had known their work for years and were sure that the funds we donated will be used with one single goal – to ensure children get a normal, better life.”

Rosalia and Svetoslav

“For one of my previous birthdays, I wanted to make it easier for my guests and suggested that as a gift they help me raise money for a new bike. I was very surprised by the amount of money that was raised. It was definitely unexpected and very kind. But at the same time, I felt a bit awkward, because I didn’t really need the money.

This is why I decided to celebrate my next birthday with a cause. I picked the Cedar Foundation, because I knew their work is 24/7 and throughout the whole year, and not just campaign or project-like. This is a huge commitment and it deserves support.”

Pavel

“In December 2019, I got older once again (it happens every year!). And I started to think. First, in general and to my delight, I have all I want. Second, every time I go to a birthday party, even if it is to one of my closest friends, I feel a knot in my stomach when I start thinking about what present to buy. That is why I decided to ask my guests to donate the money that they would use to get me presents to bring joy to those who have a greater need for that. So, I had a “win-win” situation – I was happy because I had my closest people celebrating with me, and they were happy that they had saved time from wondering what to buy and wandering the stores. But most importantly, we helped the Cedar Foundation and their noble cause!”

Svetoslav

“This year for my birthday, instead of receiving gifts from my friends and family, I preferred to make a gift myself for people in need. I have been involved with the Cedar Foundation for a couple of years now and my first thought was to donate the collected money to the children from there centers. As I have spent a great amount of time working with disadvantaged groups, I am well aware of the foundation’s cause and have witnessed how the eyes of those people light up when they see that someone cares for them. I hope that my donation will help bring a smile on at least one child’s face.”

Annie

“My wife and I decided that a beautiful event, such as a wedding could be even more adorable if you make people outside the wedding hall smile. We wanted to give smiles and hope to children in need.

When one is about to build a family, he has to learn three basic things: love, morality and compassion. Mira and I learn to love every day. Life teaches us morals, and human destinies teach us compassion. Children are the future of every nation and we should take care of them first. In our first steps as a family, Mira and I have decided to spare a few hundred flowers that would have faded in a week, but to allow several children to “blossom” and grow to become persons. These persons will one day do the same for other children, and Bulgaria will have a future again. That’s why we asked all our wedding guests not to buy expensive bouquets but instead to donate the money to the Cedar Foundation’s cause. We are happy that for the whole evening, the only bouquet in the hall was the one of the bride and everyone took our request to heart. They say that if you want to educate your children properly, you should start long before they are born. We did that at our wedding.

A week ago, we received an invitation from our friends for their son’s birthday. They were at our wedding and we are glad they decided to follow our example. They asked us not to give toys and gifts away, just a small birthday card. The money for the gifts, they donated to a child, who needs treatment abroad. We hope more people will follow this example in the future!”

Dimitar and Mira

“When we started with the preparation for our wedding, we were surprised how much the entire organization costs – from the gifts for our guests to the clothing for me and my husband. For a long time I’ve been a fan of volunteering and a sustainable lifestyle.

So I thought that while we waste our money for one day, for just one event that is really important to us, there are many people who suffer and have no families. People who are in need more than us. Our honor attendant gave us the idea of a wedding with a cause and we liked it a lot, because we knew it will make our day even more special and will make someone else smile.

We researched different options and came across Cedar Foundation’s cause. We felt even better when our guests got excited about the initiative. Before the wedding they had a lot of questions about the kids and the donations. Our friends embraced the cause, and were eager to hear about the children’s reactions, when we brought them the gifts.

I would like to encourage more couples to add extra flavor of goodness to their wedding day. The feeling of satisfaction is unique!”

Krasimira and Vladislav

“For our wedding my husband and I decided to skip the flowers and have our guests donate the money towards a good cause instead. A friend of ours, Stef, told us about the foundation and we quickly contacted them. What motivated us was that flowers are an ephemeral pleasure and the money for them better go to people who really need it. All our guests were happy to participate.
In the end, to give happiness is the best form of egoism. It is very fulfilling to be able to help others.
Doing good is something that needs regular practice – it then becomes a habit of one’s heart.”

Diana and Nikolay

“Everyone has their own reasons for helping people in need, I am certain of it. I personally, was deeply moved after a meeting with a representative of the foundation who told me about the process of relocation of institutionalized children to family-type houses and the plight of most of them. For a long time after, I kept thinking that I could do something for those children, that the empathy which I feel would not really help them.

Actually, there is no need to wait for a special occasion, if we want to help. I would advise anyone who is wondering what gift to choose from friends and colleagues to donate a little hope to children in need and to celebrate a birthday with a cause.”

Valentin

“We decided to save our guests from the difficult task of choosing gifts and we offered them to support a foundation with a good cause and impeccable reputation. Cedar’s team reacted very quickly and professionally, and we were able to raise over 4500 dollars. We are certain that some of the guests will follow the pattern.”

Hristo and Kaloyan

The satisfaction and the joy knowing that this young man would receive quality care and support made me decide to unite my birthday party and The Cedar Foundation’s cause. Moreover, this organization has proved to be a very reliable partner and the results they achieve are truly impressive, giving these children and youth the opportunity to have the same rights as everyone else in our society. However, I must admit that I adopted this idea from Hristo Hristov, whose birthday party I recently attended.

All the guests and friends were excited that they could enjoy themselves while doing good and contributing to someone else’s well-being. On another note, most of them shared that not having to look for a present saved them time and effort.

I highly recommend it to anyone who would like to feel differently and cultivate a lot of positive energy!”

Martin

“The morning of my birthday I woke up, thinking that I only wanted to see my friends that day. This is when I decided to propose to them to pull together the money that they would otherwise spend on gifts and to donate it to someone in need. In the past, I had taken part in one of Cedar’s charity quizzes. I was impressed by the friendly and intelligent way in which the foundation had organized the event, how people were having fun while donating at the same time. And since through careful research, I had become informed with Cedar’s causes, I decided to choose them as the beneficiary. Cedar’s team helped me by giving me a donation box, as well as informational brochures which informed my friends where and how my gift would be put to use. The only thing that’s better than receiving a gift, is making one.”

Irina