Did you notice? We’ve been busy! Super busy! and we cannot wait to share the news with you. In Romanian culture (and not only) Fall is about preservation and about preparing for sustenance and sustainability during the immediate future and the long term. From nurturing our partnerships to supporting education, from investing in our communities to culinary undertakings, here is what we’ve been up to and what you can look forward to:
Join the movement: support the Romanian Community Center of Chicago
Save the date: Gala on Dec 1st, celebrate the Community Center
Kids raised $1113 for Magic Association during Bake and Sale event
Otilia Baraboi joins Board of Directors
Math Class starts with a Bang
Donate to Education
Award: One Romanian Teen goes to Washington! Multiple $ prizes
Romanian Community Center
RUF partners up with the Romanian community in Chicago for the Romanian Community Center.
The Romanian Community Center is a dream on the way of becoming reality.
We are sure that everyone needs a place like home, where they feel good and welcomed every time. We dream about a place that belongs to the community, where we can gather and enjoy every activity.
Our mission begins in Chicago, where we are on the way of opening the first center. All funds are collected through RUF and used to arrange and open the center.
We are happy to see that we already have 50 ambassadors and the list is growing every day. Through this newsletter, we are inviting you to join our dream and enjoy with us the power of a strong community.
Join the RCC Chicago Facebook community!
If you feel like you belong here, you are welcomed!
Save the date December 1st
We are thrilled to announce you that you can clear your agenda on the 1st of DECEMBER for the Romanian Community Center RUF Gratitude Gala in CHICAGO!
Bake and Sale for Asociatia Magic
These children taught us an important lesson.
We, as grown-ups, try to influence the young generation and show them how fulfilling is to do acts of kindness. On their initiative, a group of children organized a bake and sale to raise money for Asociatia Magic.
They raised a total of $1113 and their noble mission impressed everyone. Let`s trust and be proud of our new generation!
All the funds raised at the bake and sale will be donated to Asociatia Magic through RUF.
Otilia Baraboi joins
Board of Directors
"I'm honored and thrilled to join the RUF family. I have been admiring RUF's groundbreaking work and accomplishments in philanthropy and I'm looking forward to contributing my experience in programs management and heritage education for the benefit of our organizations and local communities."
We are pleased to announce Otilia Baraboi, the executive Director and Co-founder of the American Romanian Cultural Society -ARCS, who joined our board of directors.
Otilia worked as a literary journalist and holds University degrees in French and English literature from Romania, Switzerland, and the U.S. In 2013 she co-founds ARCS and in 2019 she receives the Order of Merit at the Rank of Cavalier, from the Romania President.
She didn`t want to stop there and now, we are proud and honored to have her in our team.
The success of the Math class
We had so many requests that we had to double the number of classes this fall. Lucky for us three new teachers joined us in a short time so we now offer seven math classes to over 40 kids from all over the US and Canada.
Focusing on education in September, we launched the Little Newton program, where, with the help of awesome Math teachers, we prepare students who love math to compete in the Kangaroo Math contest.
Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, we don`t realize how many people are impacted by our projects and programs. We were taken by surprise and saw that our Math classes are overbooked. We want to thank everyone who believed in us and our mission and tell them we are honored to receive such an overwhelming reaction.
This is a confirmation that what we do is right, and for that, we want to thank everyone involved in this program.
September is over but
Education is not
The Education campaign continues to run into October with the following fundraisers still open
Vedem Just with the project “The student and the law”.
The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation with the project “Generation Centers”.
United Way Romania with the project “Learn to Succeed”.
Heritage Award
Romanian American Heritage Award, the annual competition for youth with Romanian heritage or background, closed the submissions of applications on September 30. We are now one step forward in this 2021 edition.
The winner will be announced on October 15 and on November 18, he will be awarded at the Alianta Gala in Washington DC.
Amazon Smile Campaign
Select RUF as your charity of choice on Amazon today.
If you use the Amazon app on your phone, you will have to turn on "Generating Donations" on every device you use (Settings > Amazon Smile > Turn ON Amazon Smile). When you purchase from your computer make sure you use smile.amazon.com (not simply amazon.com). Amazon doesn't make it easy on us :)
Check out and share our Amazon Smile video on YouTube (courtesy of Cody Barbu).
If you like what you see, Support RUF!