Program gives kids a shot in the arm

Organization hopes to raise $200,000 at fundraising
dinner to vaccinate children in Armenia.

Glendale News-Press
December 15, 2004

By Josh Kleinbaum

PASADENA — Until two years ago, children in Armenia
received one vaccination, paid for by international
aid organization UNICEF. The vaccination only covered
measles, leaving children exposed to a handful of
other diseases, including mumps and congenital
rubella.

Outbreaks of mumps began rippling through the young
population of Armenia, said Kathryn Donovan, a UNICEF
spokeswoman. Adults suffered from rubella, leading to
unhealthy newborns.

“Untreated mumps, while not fatal, can have serious
health consequences,” Donovan said.

A Glendale-based organization is giving the next
generation of Armenians a shot in the arm, quite
literally. The Millennium Armenian Children’s Vaccine
Fund is raising $1.5 million to vaccinate every child
in Armenia for diphtheria, hepatitis B, mumps,
measles, rubella, pertussis, polio, tetanus and
tuberculosis. At 6:30 tonight, the fund will hold a
gala fundraising dinner to try to raise the final
$200,000.

“This is the one sector of aid or health that reaches
every single person who was born in Armenia,” said
Eliza Karagezian, the fund’s director. “All of the
other projects are necessary or important, but none of
them touches every single person the way that our
project does. Starting off a new generation of
children in Armenia on a healthy foot is extremely
important. The first step of a healthy democracy is
having a healthy population.”

Michael Mahdesian, former deputy director, Bureau for
Humanitarian Response United States Agency for
International Development, and Lise Grandé, United
Nations Development Program Resident Representative to
Armenia, will speak at the $200 per person gala at the
Craven’s Estate, 430 Madeline Drive in Pasadena. Actor
Mike Connors will be a special guest.

Organizers hope the fundraiser will complete the $1.5
million two-year fundraising effort, which is expected
to vaccinate 37,000 Armenian children per year for the
next 15 years.

“What I love about this program is fact that a little
bit of effort yields a great good,” said Tamar
Kevonian, publisher of Mosaix, an Armenian lifestyles
magazine, who will serve as master of ceremonies.
“It’s a finite project, not something that people have
to contribute to every year. There’s a lot of other
organizations that provide assistance, but this is on
such a molecular level. If we don’t keep these kids
healthy, they can’t grow up to take advantage of
education benefits, career benefits, anything.”

Karagezian said tickets will be available at the door.
For more information, call 291-6490.

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