United Way Romania launches a partnership with Veranda shopping center, planning to develop community projects and raise funds for education, socio-economic integration and health programs for disadvantaged children, youth and elders.

“Veranda was designed from the beginning as a project for the community. We want to be complementary to the Obor area, to offer residents new options for shopping, but especially to create a space for leisure, friends and family. Thus, we take further our promise to the community and take part in developing projects together with United Way Romania, who develop programs in line with our vision”, said Andrei Pogonaru, developer of the Veranda shopping center.

Activities will kick off with the opening of the shopping center in Bucharest’s Obor area, in the last quarter of this year, when an information point dedicated to the foundation will be located within the mall. Since the beginning of the year, Veranda has already taken part in two social campaigns organized by United Way Romania. This spring, four members of the shopping center team competed, together with over 50 participants, in the Charity Shopping Race that provided supplies and food worth over EUR 13,000 for 14 families in the capital and its vicinity. Thus, Veranda donated in the competition the amount of EUR 1,000 so that its team could purchase home appliances, food and hygiene items for a family with three children who are facing health problems and financial distress.

The shopping center also supported the foundation at the International Bucharest Half Marathon in April, where team members joined more than 300 United Way runners, helping to raise funds for implementing a health education and sports project for disadvantaged children. Andrei Pogonaru ran for the third time in a row for the benefit of the Foundation. Board member of United Way Romania since November 2014, Andrei Pogonaru contributes to its impact in the community through resources and expertise, alongside 12 other company directors and CEOs. He also is a member of United Way’s Alexis de Tocqueville Society, which has a tradition of 30 years and brings together over 25,000 United Way individual donors from around the world. Donations made by Andrei Pogonaru in recent years for social programs amount to $ 30,000.

Veranda is a community shopping center, developed by Prodplast Real Estate S.A. in Bucharest, Obor area, which will be inaugurated in the last quarter of 2016. The project has a total area of almost 30,000 square meters, including retail, restaurants, cafes and a green area of 15,000 sqm. The total investment for the development of Veranda shopping center, designed by British architects Chapman Taylor and Studio 10M, will reach 60 million.