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PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Concerts and Cruises: AGBU Toronto Successfully Raises Over $9,000 for
Nor Jraberd Village in Karabakh
As the summer came to a close, AGBU’s Toronto Chapter hosted two events
to raise funds and awareness for the organization’s Karabakh
Repopulation Project, with a focus on the Canadian-sponsored Nor Jraberd
village.
On June 26, 2007, a crowd of over 175 people gave a continuous standing
ovation for 24-year-old concert pianist, Lusine Khachatryan. This
award-winning talent from Armenia mesmerized the audience for over two
hours at Toronto’s AGBU Alex Manoogian Cultural Center with a flawless
piano rendition of works by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, and
finally Arno Babajanian.
A reception hosted by Toronto’s AGBU members in honor of Lusine followed
her musical recital. The proceeds of over $5,700 from the concert went
to AGBU Canada’s Karabakh Repopulation Project in Nor Jraberd.
Another event for the same cause was sponsored by AGBU Toronto this past
summer. On July 21, the Canada Armenia Business Council (CABC) and AGBU
members, colleagues and friends gathered on the Pioneer Princess for a
four-hour scenic "Noyan Tapan" cruise on Lake Ontario. The ship departed
>From Toronto’s Queen Quay and 75 guests dined and danced to Armenian
music throughout their journey. Over $4,000 from this event will be
donated to the Nor Jraberd Repopulation Project.
To date, the Toronto group has raised a total of over $92,000 for the
Karabakh Repopulation Project, which will help repopulate areas of
Karabakh devastated by war. During both events, the common sentiment
amongst participants was to encourage more events like them to bring
awareness of the conditions in Karabakh, particularly in Nor Jraberd,
and provide information as to how Armenians from around the world can
help and support the people there.
Nor Jraberd is a collaborative effort of AGBU Montreal, AGBU Toronto and
other Armenian communities in Vancouver, Ottawa and Calgary to rebuild a
village and name it Nor Jraberd (New Water Fortress) in the Mardakert
region of Karabakh–the fourth village in AGBU’s Karabakh Repopulation
Project. For more information, please visit
Established in 1906, the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) is the
world’s largest non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New
York City with an annual budget of $34 million, AGBU ()
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually serving some
400,000 Armenians around the world.