Mark and Coreen Biech came to Romania shortly after the revolution of 1989 and adopted their son Catlan from an orphanage in Navodari near Constanta. Four years later they adopted a daughter and son from an orphanage in Moscow, Russia, Olicia and Sergei.
Mark and Coreen founded and directed the Black Sea Volunteer Base, handling multi-faceted activities while forming collaborations with World Vision Canada, Australia and Romania. Activities at the base included bringing in Romanian children from all walks of life, including those from institutions and those from HIV centres.
To accomplish these activities, they set up volunteer facilities to include accommodations, full kitchen facilities with local kitchen staff, briefings and conferences, sightseeing excursions, arrangement of audio/visual for specific team needs as well as stage set-up for teams doing concert activity.
They developed programs for children at the centre including computer training, music lessons, and the arts. The base also served as an emergency centre for abandoned children and worked closely with World Vision and the Romanian Department for the Protection of Children in helping to reunite children with families or see them placed in foster care. More activities at the base included the receiving of containers shipped to Romania from Canada with desperately needed supplies which were then stored and distributed to those in need. They established a cultural project at the base by setting up a recording studio and provided scholarships for Romanian musicians to give them opportunity to learn recording technology, giving them functional life skills for the future.
In 2003, they moved the headquarters from the east coast of Romania to the central region and are now located in Brasov, Romania. The main projects in this region are; The Farms Project, Family and Child Sponsorship Program, Birth Parent Search, International Medical Conferences, HFTN-RO Gov’t recognized diploma courses for Home Care and Community Medical Representatives, and in 2011, the start of the HFTN-RO Mobile Medical Unit.
Mark also serves as the Deputy Warden for the Canadian Embassy in Bucharest for the Brasov Region.
Mark and Coreen founded and directed the Black Sea Volunteer Base, handling multi-faceted activities while forming collaborations with World Vision Canada, Australia and Romania. Activities at the base included bringing in Romanian children from all walks of life, including those from institutions and those from HIV centres.
To accomplish these activities, they set up volunteer facilities to include accommodations, full kitchen facilities with local kitchen staff, briefings and conferences, sightseeing excursions, arrangement of audio/visual for specific team needs as well as stage set-up for teams doing concert activity.
They developed programs for children at the centre including computer training, music lessons, and the arts. The base also served as an emergency centre for abandoned children and worked closely with World Vision and the Romanian Department for the Protection of Children in helping to reunite children with families or see them placed in foster care. More activities at the base included the receiving of containers shipped to Romania from Canada with desperately needed supplies which were then stored and distributed to those in need. They established a cultural project at the base by setting up a recording studio and provided scholarships for Romanian musicians to give them opportunity to learn recording technology, giving them functional life skills for the future.
In 2003, they moved the headquarters from the east coast of Romania to the central region and are now located in Brasov, Romania. The main projects in this region are; The Farms Project, Family and Child Sponsorship Program, Birth Parent Search, International Medical Conferences, HFTN-RO Gov’t recognized diploma courses for Home Care and Community Medical Representatives, and in 2011, the start of the HFTN-RO Mobile Medical Unit.
Mark also serves as the Deputy Warden for the Canadian Embassy in Bucharest for the Brasov Region.
Mark and Coreen Biech
President, Vice President
President, Vice President
Norm and Loralee Strauss have been involved with the Bieches in the mission to Romania since 1998 with the establishment of the first base in Navordari. They have led several short term teams into Romania from Canada, Germany (where they lived from 1998 -2000), and also most recently from Boston in May of 2006 when Loralee led a team from Metro-West Bridge Fellowship to do the very first home-makeover in conjunction with Hope For the Nations Romania.
Norm and Loralee and their four children currently live in Kelowna, BC where they continue to serve as HFTN area directors for Canada. Norm works as a full time singer/songwriter www.normstrauss.com
Norm and Loralee and their four children currently live in Kelowna, BC where they continue to serve as HFTN area directors for Canada. Norm works as a full time singer/songwriter www.normstrauss.com
Steve Lang
Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Steve Lang first came to Romania in the summer of 2000 with his wife, Lynn and 4 kids, Sean, Stephanie, Hannah and Christian, to serve alongside Mark and Coreen Biech. He spent the next 8 months supporting the work that the Biechs' had started 2 years earlier. In March of 2001, Steve and his family returned to Canada.
In the fall of 2003, Steve accepted the invitation to be on the board for Hope for the Nations - Romania, a new mission to Brasov, Romania.
Steve and his family currently reside in Abbotsford, BC, Canada.
In the fall of 2003, Steve accepted the invitation to be on the board for Hope for the Nations - Romania, a new mission to Brasov, Romania.
Steve and his family currently reside in Abbotsford, BC, Canada.
Norm and Loralee Strauss
Area Directors
Area Directors
