PRESS RELEASE
New York Armenian Students’ Association
333 Atlantic Avenue
Warwick, RI 02888
(401) 461-6114
Email: newyork_asa@yahoo.com
Armenian Relief Society `Mayr Chapter’ of New York (ARS Mayr Chapter)
and NY Armenian Students’ Association (NY ASA) Host a Fundraiser Mixer
in New York City
On February 2, 2007, over 50 people from the tri-state area, upstate
New York and Washington D.C. braved the cold winter rain to gather at
Sortie, a trendy midtown Manhattan lounge, to support a worthy cause –
the construction of a roof for the Gavar Special School in Gavar,
Armenia.
Located in the impoverished Gegharkunik region, the Gavar Special
School is dedicated to educating children with special needs. At
present, there are nearly 700 special needs children who receive no
education (special needs orotherwise) in this region. Indeed,
orphanages in Armenia receive five times more funding than special
needs schools and only provide half the services.
The school is fortunate to have two dedicated Peace Corps volunteers,
JasonSprague and Kayte Williams, who, along with the school’s
director, Lavrik Arevshatyan, have worked tirelessly to meet the
children’s education and other needs, provide a safe environment in
which the children can learn and raise money for necessary repairs for
school, even paying out oftheir own salaries to do so. Recently, a
foundation called The Lots of SunFoundation for Special Needs Children
in Support of Gavar Special School was formed to, in part, lobby the
Armenian Government to provide greater financial support for special
needs children and ensure that donations from the school are not
unduly taxed.
The school and the region also face weather-related challenges. The
last two months have been the coldest in the last few years, freezing
indoor and outdoor sewer pipes of structures in the region as well as
its freshwater supply. The roof is made of metal sheeting which is
leaking and causing widespread structural damage to the school. To
make matters worse, on January 20,2007, a storm with high winds ripped
away portions of the roof’s dilapidated metal covering. The estimated
cost of the roof’s construction is $85,000, a figure which has nearly
doubled in the last year due to the increased costs of building
materials and the appreciation of the Armenian dram against the
U.S. dollar.
Fully aware that the safety of the children is further compromised,
the attendees of the mixer and other donors responded generously and
over $1000 wasraised for the roof construction. The ARS Mayr Chapter
and NY ASA wish to extend their thanks to the attendees and other
donors for their support for this worthy cause.
In response to the mixer, Jason Sprague of the Gavar School sent the
following message: `The Staff, Students and Volunteers of Gavar
Special School wish to thank all those who attended the Armenian
Relief Society Mayr Chapter of New York and the New York Armenian
Students’ Association for their gracious support of Gavar Special
School. The donated money is obviously important but more importantly
people are learning of about the situation of special needs education
in rural Armenia. Especially in Gegharkunik, there are over 650
children that have special needs that receive no education. As many
as 500 of these children could benefit from special education and have
a productive life. The situation is dire for these very wonderful
children. Your help will be used to create a safe learning
environment. We hope you will visit Gavar Special School on your next
trip to Armenia to meet the students, staff and volunteers and see the
changes your support has helped to ensure. Please subscribe to
to see the changes as they happen
and stay abreast of the news at Gavar Special School. Thank you again
for your kind compassion and we consider you part ofGavar Special
School’s community!’
Additional donations of any amount are greatly needed and appreciated,
and those who are interested can log to the Gavar Special School
website at
The ARS was founded in 1910 as an independent, non-sectarian,
non-governmental organization (NGO), serving the humanitarian, social,
and educational needs of Armenians. The ARS has affiliate entities in
24 countries with a membership of approximately 18,000. An NGO on the
roster in consultative statuswith the Economic and Social Council of
the United Nations, the ARS is a 501© (3) charitable, tax-exempt
organization. The ASA is a nationwide membership organization that
promotes Armenian culture and education by providing Armenian
communities with social, academic, and educational events. Allfunds
raised by the regional branches contribute to the ASA’s scholarship
fund for Armenian students studying in the United States.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress