In 1905, Chicago attorney Paul Harris met with three friends to discuss a concept. Twenty-seven years later, the idea of humanity, honesty and selflessness reached Bulgaria, where the first Rotary Club was founded in 1933.

Banned twice - in 1941 by the government of Bogdan Filov with the Law for the Protection of the Nation and in 1951 by the communist regime, this year Rotary in Bulgaria celebrates 30 years since its restoration.

On this occasion, today (April 13) there will be a charity celebration in support of the project "The Sound of Silence" to help children with hearing impairment.

Exhibition of posters presenting the development of Rotary in Bulgaria from its foundation to the present day will be shown in front of the National Theatre "Ivan Vazov", and a concert will be held in Bulgaria Concert Hall in Sofia to raise funds for children with hearing problems.

"We chose this cause because the main mission of Rotary is to help solve socially significant problems - says Karolina Lyubomirova, President of Rotary Club Sofia - After analyzing the needs of society, we found that people with impaired hearing both in our country and worldwide are over 6% of the population. The relevance of the topic was confirmed on a global level by the Oscar award for "CODA (Child of Deaf Adults)" for Best Film. The aim of the project is to improve communication, articulation, and comprehension of speech. Therefore, with the help of various initiatives - introduction to musical instruments, visits to concerts, we will strive to support the development of these children."

Currently there are 91 Rotary Clubs in Bulgaria with about 2 thousand people working on various social projects - following in the footsteps of their predecessors who dedicated themselves to the causes of their time. The most significant of these was the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews.

In 1937 the Rotary Consultative Centre for Cardiovascular Diseases was established. Today, successors of the Rotarians of those days are also investing efforts to improve people's health and to provide medical assistance to people living in remote locations.

"We pay special attention to the prevention of diabetes, oncological and endocrine diseases, as well as childhood illnesses," says Karolina Lyubomirova. In our club, for example, we are currently implementing a project related to modern health risks for children – newly emerging street drugs, psychological damages caused bytoo much screen time, etc.

Back in the day, the ranks of Rotary Bulgaria were joined by Sofia intellectuals, entrepreneurs, financiers and scholars. According to Karolina Lyubomirova, today's adherents are leaders and successful professionals from all fields. In 1990 a group of enthusiasts under the leadership of Kalcho Hinov, Stefan Stoyanov and Simeon Kondov worked for the restoration of Rotary. A binding link with the first Bulgarian Rotarians became the doyen Racho Kosov - a member of the club since 1935.

"Today the Rotary focuses on projects with sustainability and stability over time," adds Karolina Lyubomirova. So that good does not remain a one-off act and reaches as many people as possible. What brings them together and drives them in recent weeks is the disaster that has befallen the Ukrainian people. So they are collecting aid, helping to relocate the refugees and assisting their adaptation in our country. So far, the Rotarians have collected BGN 250 thousand (EUR 125,000), which they have used to buy necessities.