THE BNI FOUNDATION LAUNCHES HUMANITARIAN EFFORT TO SUPPORT CHILDREN IN NEED IN UKRAINE

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The BNI Foundation, a US-based 501c3 organization, has announced The Heaters & Hope Initiative, which will supply safe and effective portable propane heaters to families with children in Ukraine that have been impacted by power outages caused by the on-going conflict in that country. The Initiative is moving quickly given the typically harsh winter in that country.

BNI^® (Business Network International), the world's leading business referral organization, is pivotal in making this project happen with scale and speed. BNI is utilizing its expansive network of Member-businesses to support the funding, procurement, and delivery of the equipment to affected areas.

BNI does not get involved in politics, geopolitics, or religion. However, in partnership with the BNI Foundation, BNI does support humanitarian efforts around the world that focus specifically on children and education. The Heaters & Hope Initiative will provide timely relief to children impacted by power outages caused the ongoing conflict in Ukraine with the goal of supporting their safety and education.

The Heaters & Hope Initiative was launched after a recent trip to Poland by BNI's CEO and Chairman, Graham Weihmiller, where he had the opportunity to meet with mayors from across Ukraine and a variety of governmental and non-governmental organizations providing humanitarian relief related to the conflict. After additional research and analysis by others in the BNI Foundation identified an avenue to provide targeted aid on a timely basis, the Heaters & Hope Initiative was launched. Given the urgency of the situation, it is expected that the heating equipment will be delivered to the areas of need in January. 

"Over the last decade, both BNI and the BNI Foundation have provided significant assistance to support children and education in a variety of situations around the world. We are very grateful for the incoming donations for The Heaters & Hope Initiative. This effort may be a template of sorts that the BNI Foundation can then use to support children in other conflict zones in the future", said Weihmiller.

BNI's global network of entrepreneurs and business leaders operates according to BNI's core philosophy of Givers Gain^® which emphasizes service to fellow Members and to communities worldwide. This philosophy enables a significant amount of revenue to be created for Member-businesses; it also enables support for important community efforts, such as The BNI Foundation's Heaters & Hope Initiative.

The BNI Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving educational opportunities for children around the world. The BNI Foundation's mission is to lead a global movement of businesspeople who fund educational programs and volunteer time to prepare children for a promising future. The BNI Foundation garners its name from its corporate sponsor, BNI (Business Network International), and works in tandem on a multitude of initiatives. Learn more about the BNI Foundation at www.bnifoundation.org.

BNI (Business Network International) is the world's largest and most successful business networking organization. Today, BNI has over 295,000+ Member-businesses participating in nearly 10,800+ BNI Chapters that meet in-person, online, or in a hybrid format each week in 75+ countries around the globe. Since 1985, BNI has created over $146,000,000,000 USD in revenue for BNI Members via over 143 million valuable new client referrals. * To learn more about BNI and how you can visit a chapter, go to www.bni.com. BNI's philosophy is centered on Givers Gain^® and BNI's motto is Changing the Way the World Does Business^®. To connect with the support team, please reach out to (800)-825-8286 or support@bni.com.

*This information is based on historical BNI Member self-reported data and represents collective results from BNI Members worldwide from 1985 to January 7, 2022.

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