Silviu Cirila and Christian Bothan are two young people who believe in the power of generosity and social participation. Their attention is mostly directed to public organizations that help children with disabilities or children from disadvantaged families. Both have over time become attached to the associations they support and maintain a close relationship with them.

Silviu Chirilă started to join and collect funds in 2014, having already held about 10 active campaigns on Galant alone, for which he managed to mobilize donations amounting to 20,076 lei. He says that fundraising is a simple phenomenon at its core, but his biggest challenge seems to be accepting that there will be times when you face rejection and not letting it demoralize you: “Over time, I’ve learned that it’s okay (some people may not even correspond to your chosen case or forget). I also learned how to approach others and more easily convince them to support a cause.”

In 2018, he donated his birthday to raise funds for the treatment of runner Robert Kadar, and in the following years he joined the FARA foundation, which supports children and youth from disadvantaged families. “If I can give a little bit of my time to convince other people to donate money that could somehow make life easier for these children, why not do it?” says Silviu.

For him, the greatest joy is when he sees the results that materialize thanks to his participation and those who supported him with donations. For example, last year he was pleased to learn from the FARA Foundation that the playground for disabled children had been completed, and he came to see it.

A simple playground can change the lives of children with disabilities. “Imagine that some of the things we take for granted, like going outside to hang out with friends, riding a bike in the park, even going for a walk, can be a challenge or something that some kids don’t have, they will never get to do them without help.” This thought motivated him and forced him to take a stand. “We all have our daily challenges, but we often forget that we are lucky and that many people struggle with much bigger problems than ours. By helping these causes and being generous, we help not only them, but ourselves, because we become better and contribute to building a better society for everyone’s future,” says Silviu.

Discover Silvio’s full story here.

Christian Bothan is a digital entrepreneur and public administration transparency activist and #TeamHope ambassador. From his first half marathon in 2016 to today, Christian has run or donated his birthday to raise funds for the Home and Family for Every Child program. It wasn’t always easy for him to convince people to donate, but he continues to encourage participation, convinced that it is our happiest duty to lend a helping hand. His actions conducted through the Galantom platform collected a total of 12,062 lei.

Christian believes that our true worth as human beings comes from the good we are able to do for others, and that fortunes can be changed when we extend a helping hand to those in need. “Life has been very generous to me. I had a wonderful childhood and was always spoiled. Mine are the ones to whom I owe all the good things that I managed to do, and they always inspired me to do more, do better and try, whenever there is an opportunity, to do good to someone who is less fortunate,” says Christian.

When it comes to fundraising in general, Christian says one of the biggest challenges is putting the emotion and desire to contribute into words. The greatest joy for him is the joy of being able to really help. “You have to act now, because time may not tolerate a child who falls asleep in the cold or is hungry,” he says.

Discover the full story here.

Helping is so easy! If you want to donate your day or participate in a sporting event for a social cause, you can find more information on how to do it at Galantom.ro.

Article supported by One Kind Association