YOUTH GREEN AND CLEAN TO BEAUTIFY LITTLE ARMENIA
By Serouj Aprahamian
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Tuesday, March 31, 2009
6th Annual AYF Little Armenia Beautification Project sweeps streets,
plants trees, and removes graffiti
LITTLE ARMENIA, CA–More than 300 Armenian youth adorned in bright
green t-shirts and armed with cleaning supplies made their way
throughout the streets of Los Angeles’ Little Armenia region this
past Sunday, March 29. With rakes, shovels, brooms, bags and other
utensils in hand, the young volunteers proceeded to pick up trash,
plant new trees, and remove graffiti as part of the AYF’s 6th Annual
Little Armenia Beautification Project.
"We came out here today to express our appreciation for having an area
of Los Angeles named in honor of our community and to take ownership
of what is in essence our ‘home away from home,’" said AYF Central
Executive Chairman Vache Thomassian. "I am truly proud of all of our
members and supporters for showing their leadership and taking to
the streets directly to give back to their community."
Following the official designation of Little Armenia in 2000, the AYF
has taken upon itself to consistently show its gratitude and ensure
that the area remain clean and presentable. Working in conjunction
with Councilmember Eric Garcetti’s office, hundreds of volunteers have
come together every year to revitalize the streets of this densely
populated district of East Hollywood.
This year, the task of organizing the project became the responsibility
of the community’s very own Hollywood "Musa Dagh" Chapter. Under
the direction of the AYF Central Executive, the chapter formed a
committee made up entirely of local members to organize all aspects
of this major initiative.
"It’s really fitting that the Hollywood chapter took on the challenge
of putting together this event, seeing as Little Armenia falls
directly under our jurisdiction," said Arek Santikian, one of the
main organizers from the Hollywood AYF. "The entire chapter did a
lot of work and showed a tremendous amount of collective support."
The beautification project formally began on Saturday with a
mid-morning opening ceremony at the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical
Center, a key sponsor of this year’s effort. Some of the speakers at
the ceremony included Maral Habeshian of the Hollywood Presbyterian
Medical Center and Thomassian of the AYF Central Executive.
California State Assembly Member Kevin de Leon was another one of
the honored guests who addressed the volunteers in front of the
hospital located in the heart of Little Armenia. De Leon made a
special announcement to the crowd revealing that, starting next
month, Little Armenia signs will be erected along the 101 freeway,
designating certain exits which correspond to the district.
After listening to the opening remarks, participants were quickly split
up into three groups and began canvassing the entire region making
up Little Armenia. Several AYF members took up their pre-designated
roles as group leaders and guided their fellow volunteers throughout
the various sections of the district.
Razmig Sarkissian of the Montebello "Vahan Cardashian" Chapter, for
example, was assigned the task of leading the "Red Team," which began
its morning with a tree planting ceremony attended by Assembly Member
de Leon in front of the auditorium of the Los Feliz Elementary School.
Sarkissian recalled how he first began attending the AYF’s cleanup
efforts as a badanee (junior) in 2004 and has come back every
year since. "Its fun doing good work alongside friends," explained
Sarkissian as he led his team by example and picked up trash from
the side of the street. "Plus it’s our responsibility. How can we
not clean Little Armenia? It’s named in honor of us. It’s our duty
to make sure it looks beautiful."
Another volunteer, Cynthia Momdjian of the Pasadena "Nigol Touman"
Chapter Executive, shared a similar sentiment. "It’s great that the
AYF is taking this initiative and making sure our community is a
more pleasant place to live," said Momdjian. "Helping clean up this
‘home away from home’ and making it a beautiful place to live is very
important and that is why I am here."
As they marched alongside one another cleaning the sidewalks,
volunteers could be also seen socializing as they worked. Many of the
participants–which included not only AYF members but also members
of Homenetmen, the AEO fraternity, Armenian Student Association,
and local community members–could be heard introducing themselves
and getting to make new friends in the process.
In addition, lending its assistance to the initiative for the sixth
year in a row was the Hollywood Beautification Team (HBT), a county
wide organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Los
Angeles. HBT’s Founder and CEO, Sharyn Romano, was on hand personally
to partake in the cleanup and support the AYF in its commitment.
"The fact that this is an ongoing effort that happens consistently
every year demonstrates the strength of this organization [the AYF],"
commented Romano. "These young people are stepping beyond their doors
and helping the community as a whole and that is something we all
must do."
Increasing partnership and support from such community organizations
was stressed as an important aspect of what the Beautification Project
is striving to embody.
"Our collaboration, with groups such as HBT, Councilmember Garcetti’s
office, Hollywood Presbyterian, Hollywood High School, the Hollywood
Studio District Neighborhood Council, AEO and others helped make
this year’s cleanup an all-around great success," said Caspar
Jivalegian, another key organizer from Hollywood’s "Musa Dagh"
Chapter. Additional sponsors who made the Beautification Project
possible included Sardarabad Armenian Bookstore, ADIN of California,
Horizon Armenian Television, Asbarez, CRA/LA and the Armenian American
Chamber of Commerce.
"The success of the event serves an even larger purpose of getting
the residents of the community itself engaged and involved in the
year-round maintenance of Little Armenia," Jivalegian added. "As an
example of the impact the volunteers’ presence has on local attitudes,
he cited the many times passerby’s stopped to ask the group questions
and commend their efforts."
In one case, a local elderly Armenian woman walking by the volunteers
touchingly thanked Jivalegian and the youth for coming out in such
large numbers to clean the neighborhood. "She said she sees us here
every year," relayed Jivalegian following the encounter. "She hopes
that people will respect what we’re doing and continue to keep the
community clean."
Indeed, in years past, the City of Los Angeles Sanitation Department
has estimated that more than 23,000 pounds of trash has been removed
as a result of AYF volunteer efforts. Indeed, participants who have
been coming back for the cleanup consistently since its inception
acknowledge a noticeable difference.
"The streets are simply much cleaner today than they were six years
ago," concluded Jivalegian. "That shows us that what we are doing
is having an effect beyond just the several hours a year that we
labor here."