Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
ancawr@anca.org
PRESS RELEASE
Friday, May 13, 2005
Contact: Armen Carapetian
Tel: (818) 500-1918
ARIZONA ARMENIANS DISPLAY STRONG SUPPORT FOR ANCA
— ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian and Board Member Raffi Hamparian Update
Community on Nationwide Hai Tahd Efforts
PHOENIX, AZ – The Armenian American community of the Grand Canyon
State of Arizona displayed its pride and full support for the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA) at a fundraising reception held
on May 7, 2005. The gathering in Phoenix, organized by the Armenian
National Committee of Arizona (ANC-AZ), drew a broad cross section of
community members who donated their hard earned dollars to strengthen
the advocacy efforts of the ANCA in Washington, DC. Event sponsors
included longtime and well-respected Phoenix residents Mr. & Mrs. Greg
and Emma Melikian and their extended family.
The featured speakers at the reception were ANCA Chairman Ken
Hachikian and ANCA Board Member Raffi Hamparian. Ken Hachikian
expressed the organization’s appreciation for the warm welcome he
received in Phoenix.
“The ANCA derives its strength from each of you – our grassroots,”
Hachikian remarked. “Your activism here in Phoenix is part of a
dynamic equation that makes the ANCA a powerful voice for our
community in Congress. Simply put, we could not achieve our many
successes without you,” he emphasized.
Following ANCA Chairman Hachikian’s remarks, a video of the
organization’s ANCA Capital Gateway Program was shown. The video
documents an ANCA initiative launched two years ago that brings
Armenian American college graduates from around the nation to
Washington, DC, pays for their housing, and helps them find public
policy jobs, including jobs on Capitol Hill with Members of
Congress. The ANCA Capital Gateway Program has placed over 20
candidates thus far.
“The State of Arizona is home to a number of very important public
officials, including Senator and potential 2008 Presidential candidate
John McCain and Congressman Jim Kolbe, who chairs the Congressional
committee that appropriates U.S. foreign aid to Armenia,” stated
ANC-AZ Chairman Yeprem Tchaylian. “I am very proud that the Arizona
ANC can lead the way in educating the growing Armenian American
community about the importance of being involved in the civic and
political affairs of our state,” added Tchaylian.
On Sunday, May 8th, Raffi Hamparian, who also serves on the ANCA
Western Region (WR) Board of Directors, led a training workshop with
ANC-AZ leaders, including Tchaylian, and dedicated activists Yervant
Baltajian, Zarouhi Baltajian, Anto Nazikian, and Anto Tchaylian, as
part of the ANCA-WR’s ongoing effort to assist local ANC chapters in
developing strategies and planning initiatives to reach out to local,
state and federal government officials. The workshop built on a
similar seminar held last year in Arizona by former ANCA-WR Executive
Director Ardashes Kassakhian.
“The Arizona ANC is a bright, up and coming star within our
organization,” commented Raffi Hamparian. “I look forward to seeing
the results of these efforts in growing communities across the
country,” noted Hamparian.
The ANCA is the largest and most influential Armenian American
grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a
network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the United
States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA
actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a
broad range of issues.
Editor’s note: Photo attached. Photo caption: From left to right,
ANC-AZ activist Anto Nazikian, ANCA Board Member Raffi Hamparian,
ANCA-WR Government Relations Director Armen Carapetian, ANCA Chairman
Ken Hachikian, ANC-AZ Chairman Yeprem Tchaylian, and ANC-AZ activists
Zarouhi Baltajian and Yervant Baltajian.