The Idea

The idea of ​​AR-NE was born in December 2009 in Boston, more precisely, during the second conference of GRSPSociety, (Global Romanian Students and Young Professionals Society) which took place at the Kennedy School of Government, in Cambridge MA.

During the informal talks, held in parallel with the conference agenda, Razvan Mirica and Codrin Bucur discussed the possibility of setting up an organization of Romanians in the Boston area, with an emphasis on professional and business networking activities.

The initiative was put into practice in January 2010, when Razvan Mirica convened an inaugural meeting of the new Boston Romanian Professionals (BRP) group, which was attended by over 35 members of the Romanian community in New England.

AR-NE continues to be linked to GRSPSociety, through the involvement of several volunteer members of AR-NE in GRSPSociety projects: Atelier-4 painting competition and exhibition, Jumpstart Romania, Virtual platform for organizing Romanian film festivals, etc.

Early Stages

Between February and June 2010, a series of meetings took place where we discussed the structure, objectives and strategy of the new organization. Based on the preferences and profile of the volunteers from the initiative committee, several working subgroups focused on different aspects of the BRP’s operation (administration, activities, communication, etc.) were outlined.

Among the priorities identified during these meetings are:

• Consulting the broad community of Romanians in the Boston area, regarding the programs and activities that would be of greatest interest;
• Analysis of the usefulness and feasibility of incorporating BRP as a non-profit foundation;
• Promoting the group and increasing the membership.

In parallel, we held informal consultations with members of the Romanian community in the Boston area, who are also involved in Romanian charitable organizations, and to whom we are very grateful for their opinions and advice:

• Educational Enrichment for Romanian Children – EERC – Dana Floru, M.D.
• Castelul Copiilor – Smaranda Moisescu
• Romanian Children’s Relief – RCR – Camelia Rosca, Ph.D.
• Consulatul Onorific al Romaniei in Boston – Dan Dimancescu

AR-NE is Born!

After a successful 2010, our volunteers were encouraged by the enthusiasm and ideas of the participants and engaged in restructuring the organization to better meet the needs of the Romanian-American community in the New England region.

On October 13, 2010, the Association of Romanians in New England (“The Association of Romanians in New England, Inc”) was incorporated in the state of Massachusetts. Please go to What We Do for current and more detailed information. The organization is structured as a 501(c)(3) charitable association with members.