About BHF

Blue Heron Foundation is a 501(c) 3 non-profit charitable organization operated in the US, Romania and Moldova.
It is a key principle of our approach that 100% of your donation is used exclusively for the students in our program. The founders pay all administrative costs.

Vision:

• Blue Heron Foundation was founded out of the conviction that we must do all we can to uplift our fellow human beings who cannot yet fend for themselves. We are committed to creating a world in which orphaned and abandoned children no longer live in poverty nor suffer from abuse and neglect.

Mission: Our mission centers on three dimensions of impact:

• To transform the lives of Romanian and Moldovan orphaned and abandoned youth.
• To comprehensively address the intellectual, social and emotional well-being of our students so that they may become self-actualized, self-sufficient, productive adults.
• To provide our young men and women with greater access to life’s opportunities through college scholarships, additional educational courses, a mentorship program, volunteer opportunities and yearly summer camps.

Focus: Our current focus:

• Expanding our efforts to the poorest parts of Romania and throughout Moldova.
• To intervene early in the life course of our youth, who, as residents of the two countries in Europe with the highest rates of human trafficking, are a highly vulnerable population.
• To address the unique needs of our students based on gender through programs like the Young Male Initiative and through Girls’ Educational Initiatives.

The name Blue Heron, which in Native American symbolism stands for “inner reflection and active manifestation of one’s spiritual path,” mirrors the founder’s journey at a time when she decided to give back to disadvantaged children in Romania.

Inspired by the Everychild Foundation and its efficient way of making a meaningful impact on the lives of needy children in the Los Angeles area, Blue Heron Foundation was established by Romanian-born Stefania Magidson in 2002.

Since 2002 we have raised and invested over $1.8 Million in bettering the lives of more than 3,000 Romanian and Moldovan youths with the help of a generous community of over 900 American and Romanian donors, 160 mentors from 6 different countries and 430 volunteers.

We are active in 20+ counties in Romania and, since 2015, in 4 regions in the Republic of Moldova, with the eventual goal of expanding to all districts.

In keeping with our philosophy of minimizing extraneous expenses, our primary fundraising instrument is a “Giving Circle” in which members pledge an annual minimum of $500. We meet every fall during our yearly “Salon” to hear about Blue Heron’s activities and receive updates from scholarship recipients.

In accordance with our goal of increasing the cultural profile of charitable giving in Romania, since 2006 we have organized numerous local galas. Our annual fundraiser, the Valentine’s Day Charity Ball, became a tradition among Bucharest’s charity events. The evenings culminated with the presentation of the Forget-Me-Not Humanitarian Award, which to date has been given to 6 notable Romanians who have shown exemplary dedication to bettering the lives of the country’s underprivileged children.

As of spring 2016, we have rekindled the commitment to cultivate our East Coast base of support by hosting an annual Salon in New York City.