PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Volunteer Corps
Anoush Tatevossian, Executive Director
62 Hanrapetutyan St. Apt 108
Yerevan, Armenia
Phone: (374 10) 540037
For information:
For contact: info@avc.am
Zatik Orphanage Summer Festival Organized by Armenian Volunteers
YEREVAN August 28, 2006. This Saturday, September 2nd, the children of Zatik
Orphanage will learn that their friends in the Armenian Diaspora do not
forget about them. For the third year running, Richard (Ric) Gazarian from
Chicago, and the Armenian Volunteer Corps, is hosting a full day Festival,
complete with face painting, popcorn, cotton-candy and a pony ride, for the
136 children at the orphanage!
Numerous businesses have made promises to make generous donations which will
make this day successful. Tumanian Shaurma will provide food and Grand Candy
will provide ice cream, for the third year running Luna Park has donated
it’s Moon Bounce for the day, and Cheers Disco Pub is supplying speakers and
a DJ to kick off the fun!
Additionally, many other friends will participate to make the day as
eventful and memorable as possible. Roughly 20 volunteers from the Armenian
Volunteer Corps (AVC), and also the Birthright Armenia/Depi Hayk Foundation,
will be in attendance to help run the carnival games and do face-painting.
The Zeytun dance group will put on a small performance, professional clowns
will provide amusement, and a special guest appearance by Miss Armenia
Lusine Tovmasyan has been planned.
And why does Richard return every summer to host and sponsor this event for
the children of Zatik? He simply says, "They are like my extended family."
This relationship began in 2004 when Ric volunteered as an English teacher
and mentor at Zatik Orphanage through the Armenian Volunteer Corps, an
organization devoted to facilitating Diasporan Armenians with the
opportunity to live and work in Armenia for long and short term volunteer
service in hopes that those Diasporans will establish a life-long
relationship with their countrymen and women in Armenia so that they can
together build a stronger future.
Ric developed a strong attachment to his new found friends at Zatik, and
they with him. Upon the end of his AVC service term in the summer of 2004,
Ric decided he wanted to organize something special, something to bring
happiness to the children in a memorable way. He organized the first "Zatik
Festival" and like a true friend, Ric and the AVC volunteers try to play a
continuing role in the lives of the children, and so are once again
organizing the Festival fun this year.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress