AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:
PRESS RELEASE
Friday, September 28, 2007
AGBU Continues Good-Will in Gyumri
Armenia’s second largest city has witnessed quite the Armenian General
Benevolent Union (AGBU) presence this summer with a recent
?¬15,000 donation by the AGBU Marseilles Chapter for a central
heating system at the #3 School, the 10th anniversary celebration of
the AGBU-funded Art Academy, the donation of clothes to a Gyumri
orphanage by AGBU Scouts in Southern California, and two Young
Professional (YP) interns from Bulgaria working with Birthright
Armenia.
Although Gyumri was severely devastated by the 1988 earthquake, this
city in the Shirak region of Armenia has more recently blossomed
culturally and educationally. Some of this growth is a result of the
humanitarian work and financial donations of AGBU individuals and
chapters around the world.
On May 2, 2007 Christopher Masse bequeathed a 15,000-euro donation
given by the AGBU Marseilles chapter for a central heating system at
Gyumri School #3, which caters to students with special needs. This
donation was originally announced last February by Jean-Noel Guerini,
president of the General Council and Senator of Bouches-du Rhone, and
Bernard Besoian, president of AGBU Marseilles, at the AGBU-sponsored
Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra concert. Guerini will visit the school
in October.
The 15-year-old school was newly renovated last September and
currently has 132 students enrolled in an eight-year program. At that
time in 2006, AGBU’s London chapter sponsored the installation of new
beds, floors, and a renovated sewage system for the students. The same
summer, AGBU’s France Armenia Trip Volunteers helped out by painting
the school’s walls. Now, AGBU Marseilles has introduced a new heating
system.
AGBU’s ongoing work in Gyumri continued on June 4 with the 10th
anniversary celebration of the organization’s construction of the Art
Academy. The day kicked off with the first Republican Festival of
Musicians and lasted until June 10, with 500 musicians of all ages
from Armenia and Karabakh participating. The organization has on more
than one occasion provided aid to this center and AGBU’s Director of
Armenian Representation, Ashot Ghazarian, was invited to give a speech
at the anniversary event.
The Academy currently has 150 students and graduates on average 20-25
alumni per year. The building includes the Movie and Theater State
Institute and the Gyumri Branches of the Komitas Conservatory and Art
Academy.
Around the same time of this 10th anniversary celebration, AGBU’s
Scouts of Pasadena, California donated eight large packages of
clothing, including winter hats, gloves, scarves, toys, games and
stationary to the Huys Orphange in Gyumri. The AGBU Armenian
Representation office collected these gifts and assembled over 75
individual packages for each child at the orphanage. AGBU’s Yerevan YP
group then delivered these surprises on June 4 to the children.
"It was a great delight for the children, not only to receive these
presents, but to receive this type of attention," said Shushanik
Ghaltakhchyan, who delivered the gifts as part of the YP Yerevan
contingent. "They wanted to do something great for us too’-to sing, to
dance, to perform, whatever their talents were."
In addition to financial donations, AGBU Plovdiv sent two Bulgarian
Young Professionals to the Birthright Armenia internship program this
past summer. Hripsime Tongurian, former YP chairwoman, and Mihran
Erniassian spent eight weeks volunteering their time with a marketing
agency in Gyumri which promotes the surrounding Shirak region.
AGBU will continue to help Gyumri grow with similar acts of good will
in the future. This summer was only a small taste of what the
organization has already done and more importantly will continue to do
in its efforts to ensure Gyumri fully recovers from the devastating
1988 earthquake.
For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please
visit