FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
November 25, 2007
Phone: 610-642-6633
[email protected]
GREENWICH COMMUNITY LEADERS COMMIT TO THEIR LOCAL YOUTH
Harry and Edna Keleshian, together with Dan and Sara Mushegian, want
to see a leadership-oriented generation of young diasporans with strong
ties to the Homeland within their local community. Not wanting to leave
their desire to chance, they sought out Birthright Armenia, so the two
could work together to sponsor their parish youth on trips to Armenia
for public service and to reawaken their love of all things Armenian.
Thanks to a generous pledge from these two Greenwich, CT families, an
all expense paid trip to the Homeland through Birthright Armenia awaits
an applicant from Fairfield or Westchester County. The co-sponsors
are anxious to find interested youth, 20-32 years of age, from either
St. Gregory the Enlightener Armenian Church in White Plains, or the
Armenian Church of the Holy Ascension in Trumball, CT, to get the
ball rolling. Included in the offer is a travel fellowship that covers
roundtrip airfare to Armenia, in-country orientation, job placement in
the field of the volunteer’s choosing, two months of homestay living,
Armenian language instruction, weekly seminars and social events with
local youth, educational excursions and so much more.
Birthright Armenia, now in its fourth year of operation, envisions a
trip to Armenia for volunteerism or for study an integral part of life
for every young Armenian – a rite of passage. Such experiences have
a striking impact on young diasporans, as it enhances their sense
of belonging to the Armenian people, and creates a strong bond of
understanding and appreciation that is critical in the years ahead
to widen the bridge between Armenia and the Diaspora.
"We commend these families of great vision, as they recognize the real
pay-off could be 10 years down the line, but the benefits reaped will
be many-fold the original investment," says Birthright Armenia founder
Edele Hovnanian. "We get one shot at making a mark upon our youth
when they are in their impressionable 20’s, just as they are trying
to define who they are. I’ve seen so many of our participants return
permanently tattooed with a new and strengthened Armenian identity
as a result of their immersion-style experiences in Armenia. It is
too great an opportunity to miss, and is not easily replicable," she
adds. Dan and Sara Mushegian know this first-hand, as they have had
two children, Aram and Setta, complete rewarding community service
experiences in Armenia, which accounted for a few months of their
lives but has now become a lifetime commitment for both of them.
The Keleshians and Mushegians hope their philanthropy will serve
as a model for other forward-thinking individuals across the U.S.,
who will adopt the same sponsorship concept within their own local
communities or parishes, thereby getting a large, cross-section of
youth to Armenia through Birthright Armenia sponsorship to cultivate
a new generation of leaders.
If you are interested or know of someone within Fairfield or
Westchester County who might be interested in applying for the
Keleshian/Mushegian scholarship, please contact the Birthright Armenia
office at (610)642-6633 or [email protected].
Birthright Armenia’s mission is to strengthen ties between the homeland
and diasporan youth by affording them an opportunity to be a part of
Armenia’s daily life and to contribute to Armenia’s development through
work, study and volunteer experiences, while developing a renewed
sense of Armenian identity. For more information, or to make an online
donation, please visit our web site at
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