September 12th, 2018 - posted in Activities, Donations, Galleries, Meeting, News and Events, Service support.
On 12 September Rotary Club Sofia International held its informal meeting in Raketa Rakia Bar. We had the pleasure to welcome guests from Rotaract Club Sofia – Ms. Ruksina Basheva, member of the club and Mr. Gabriel Lukov, President of the club.
Rotaract Club Sofia in partnership with Bulgarian History and Rotaract Clubs in London are running the project “Bulgarian Books for Bulgarians Abroad”. They are collecting books, which will be donated to a Bulgarian school and a Community center in London. The books will go to the Bulgarian Sunday School Bukvaran and to the Bulgarian Library and Bookstore.
Our club took part of this project through our member Mrs. Hristina Malchevska and Sunray Publishing Company who donated the books for pupils and published by them. Additionally the club donated the book by Mrs. Svetla Tsvetkova, “Stoyno mi, Maly Mome – 327 Folklore Songs from Central and Western Bulgaria”, a book which our club distributed to more than 50 Community Centers in the country during the presidency of Mr. Horst Stüer. The author of the book also donated her other book “Poide Marko Dobar Yunak – 100 Folklore Songs from Kyustendil Region”.
Our friends from Rotary Club Harmanli donated a five of the “Friendship” books they have published as a part of a a project for the kids in first grade in Harmanli. Rotary Club Sofia Serdika also took part and collected children’s books, which will be sent to London also.
Should you also wish to donate books, you can contact Ms. Hristova or send a mail to: info@rc-si.org.
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September 9th, 2018 - posted in Galleries, News and Events.
On 8-9 September the members of the association “The Business of Harmanli”, most of whom are actually members of Rotary Club Harmanli and Harmanli Municipality organized the 2nd Festival “Na Harmana” (“На Хармана”).
Harman is an old Bulgarian word – a flat circular terrain, which has been used in the past for threshing (separating the grain from the plant).
The idea of the festival is to preserve the traditions of the people from the villages in the Harmanly District – traditional food specialties from the region, crafts, clothes, etc. At over 50 booths the local producers exhibited traditional dishes and products from the area.
One of the attractions was the spectacle of a Bulgarian survival school “Baga-Tur”. They rode horses, fought authentic battles armed with real swords and shields, presented characteristic combat techniques from the past based on historical facts, recreated the dances of our ancestors.
The program included also folklore performances, presentation of authentic rituals, lifestyle and culture typical of the region. The official opening of the grape harvest in southern Sakar in old Bulgarian tradition was also part of the festival.
Our Past President Ms. Ani Hristova visited the Festival and apart from enjoying the activities, also helped our friend on their stands.
Ms. Hristova once again thanked for the hospitality of the Rotarians in Harmanli and received an invitation for all the members of Rotary Club Sofia International to visit the fest next year in the beginning of September.
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September 5th, 2018 - posted in Meeting, News and Events, Visits to clubs.

On 5 September 2018 our Past President Ms. Ani Hristova visited the regular meeting of Rotary Club Harmanli. The meeting was opened by Mr. Milko Milkov, President Elect, with a prayer.
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The President of the club, Mr. Karagyozov, welcomed warmly Ms. Ani Hristova and introduced her to the present members.
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Rotary Club Harmanli shared their future projects, including special books for the kids from first grade in all schools in Harmanli, as well as, the idea for a Global Grant project for constructing a multi-functional sports playground in the city.
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Ms. Hristova shared the project Rotary Club Sofia International is involved in and also asked Rotary Club Harmanli to support a project of Rotaract Club Sofia who are collecting books for a community center and a Bulgarian School in London. Rotary Club Harmanli donated 5 of their books for the kids from first grade.
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The President Mr. Karagyozov invited all members of our club to their regular “Wine and Friendship Fest 2018”, which will be held on 1 December 2018 in Prikazkite Restaurant. Additional information can be found at the following link: https://goo.gl/fgXTjD. The places are limited, please reserve your place as soon as possible.
September 2nd, 2018 - posted in Activities, D2482, Galleries, News and Events.
On 31 August our Past President Ms. Ani Hristova, Mrs. Inna Badan and Mr. Claude Badan arrived in Borovets where they were welcomed by the President of Rotary Club Samokov, Mrs. Lusi Barzanova, and were invited for a dinner.
On 1 September the group our three friends joined a group of 82 Rotarians and friends from 14 clubs for the 15th Annual Rotarian Musala Peak Climb organized by Rotary Club Samokov. Musala is the highest peak in the Balkan Peninsula, standing at 2,925 meters. All major mountain ranges of Bulgaria can be seen from the top; these include Vitosha to the Northwest, Sredna Gora towards the Northeast, the Balkan Mountains along most of the Northern horizon behind Vitosha and Sredna Gora, the Rhodope Mountains to the Southeast, Pirin to the South, Osogovo and Ruy Mountain to the West, and Rila.
After a short breath of fresh air at the top of the peak and a lot of pictures the group continued downhill, which proved to be a hard task as well. The dinner was in “Black Tiger“ Restaurant, where Mrs. Barzanova welcomed all the participants in the event. The party included traditional Bulgarian folk dances performed by a local dance formation and a DJ who made sure the good mood stayed lifted all night.
On Sunday morning the program continued with visit of Tsarska Bistritsa (“Tsar’s Bistritsa”) – a former royal palace, just above the resort of Borovets, near the banks of the Bistritsa River. Built between 1898 and 1914, it served as the hunting lodge of Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria and his son Boris III.
Before leaving for Sofia our members thanked once again Rotary Club Samokov for the great organisation, friendly atmosphere, and the chance to meet new friends.
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July 5th, 2018 - posted in Activities, Donations, Galleries, News and Events, Service support.
On 5 July we finalized the project with the Association DEBRA Bulgaria for support to the people suffering from Bullous Epidermolysis. We collected 3,900 BGN during our Wine It! event – the traditional wine tasting fundraising evening organized annually by Rotary Club Sofia International, which was held on 15 March 2018 in Ranchero Steakhouse by Bodega.
The funds collected during the charity initiative were used to buy supplies for the “butterfly” people – patients suffering from Bullous Epidermolysis. With the collected money we also covered the transport costs for sending the supplies directly to the homes of the people who needed these.
The “butterfly” people suffer from severe chronic wounds throughout their lives. Such patients are confronted with daily pain and decreased quality of life, as well as the need for hourly care and treatment. Successful therapy depends on the wounds hygienic condition. We purchased the medications to relieve the diagnosed with this incurable disease from the German pharmaceutical company B. Broun. B. Brown has developed a wide range of wound care products that allow for optimal wound manipulation by assisting and accelerating the healing.
Huge thanks to them and to our member Mr. Horst Stüer for the support, appreciation also to our Past President Ms. Ani Hristova, who lead the project from the beginning to the successful realization with great passion and dedication.
The project, of course, would not have been possible without our kind sponsors and all the guests who attended the events.
Rotary Club Sofia International would like to wholeheartedly thank:
1. Vinprom Rousse
2. Via Vinera Karabunar Estate
3. Tatratea
4. Chateau Copsa
5. Manolev Winery
6. Menada Winery
7. Asen Milchev
8. Saloon-American Pub
9. Hilton Sofia
10. Graphya Ltd.
11. Ranchero Steakhouse by Bodega – our hosts.
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July 3rd, 2018 - posted in Activities, Galleries, Visits to clubs.
Our member and friend Mr. Alberto Rossi was guest of Rotary Club Bacolod South in District 3850 Philippines. The club meets Tuesday at noon. There are 25 members, who are representative of many different professions. The club was chartered in September 1969. At the meeting they shared their activities and service support projects and Mr. Rossi recounted about the projects our club is engaged in.
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June 25th, 2018 - posted in Galleries, News and Events, Visits to clubs.
On 24 June 2018 our friends and members of Rotary Club Sofia Intentional Mr. Claude Badan and Mrs. Inna Badan attended the 109th Rotary International Convention in Toronto, Canada. There were more than 24,000 registered participants from 175 countries and geographic regions who have come together to renew friendships, find inspiration, and immerse themselves in the many cultures for which Toronto is famous.
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June 20th, 2018 - posted in Meeting, News and Events.
The last regular meeting of Rotary Club Sofia International for Rotarian 2017/2018 was held on 20 June at Hilton Sofia.
The President of the club Ms. Ani Hristova opened the meeting and briefed the present about the joint event between Rotary Club Sofia International, International Women’s Club, and InterNations. It was a Garden Party in Hilton Sofia where the members of the three organizations had the opportunity to meet and discuss future collaboration possibilities.
Later we discussed the venue for our summer informal meetings. These will be held every Wednesday from 18:30 in Raketa Rakia Bar on 17, “Yanko Sakazov” Blvd., in Sofia
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June 16th, 2018 - posted in Activities, Meeting, News and Events, Theme evenings.
The garden party organized by Rotary Club Sofia International, International Women’s Club, and InterNations Bulgaria was held on 16 June 2018 in Hilton Sofia.
Unfortunately, the weather did not allow to use the garden for the entire duration of the party, thus we had to continue in the lobby of the hotel. Despite the misfortune, it was a great opportunity for the three organizations to meet and discuss future collaboration possibilities.
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June 13th, 2018 - posted in Galleries, Meeting, News and Events, Theme evenings.
The regular weekly meeting of Rotary Club Sofia International was held on 13 June at the Hilton Sofia. The president of the club Ms. Ani Hristova opened the meeting and gave the floor to our international guests: Mr. Aleksandar Markovski, Rotary Club Bitola Shirok Sokak, Mr. Aleksandar Stamboliev, Rotary Club Skopje International, and Mrs. Elizabeth Caragay Watts-Russell, Wilshire Rotary Club of Los Angeles. The Rotarians from Macedonia and USA introduced themselves and briefed about their clubs, membership, activities and projects.
Further on Ms. Hristova announced the results from the latest fundraising event of the club – “The Experience”. The collected net amount is 2888,10 BGN which will be used for setting up of an open air library in Sofia. The President Ms. Hristova thanked the members who actively helped to realize the event, and especially to our guest Mr. Yordan Dukoff, who helped to find our main sponsor. She thanked as well to all sponsors: Transimport, Natali Mark, Nestle, Inkofoods, Saloon – American Pub, Hilton Sofia, Bodega, HiLife, Kaliman Caribe, Sunray, Marina Cape.
After some more announced upcoming events and invitations from other Rotary clubs in the country the official part of the meeting was closed, for the fellowship to continue in an informal atmosphere.
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