AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
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PRESS RELEASE
Friday, April 17, 2009
AGBU Appeals to Members & Friends to Support the Victims of Italian
Earthquake
AGBU encourages its members, friends and the public to donate to its
special Italian Earthquake Relief Fund, which will ensure that the
people impacted by the April 6 earthquake in central Italy will be able
to recover as quickly as possible.
With 295 confirmed dead, hundreds injured and 30,000 people homeless,
this devastating natural disaster has wreaked havoc in the region and
created a large humanitarian crisis. Charitable organizations the world
over are rushing to provide emergency shelter, food and counseling to
those affected by the earthquake, and Italian leaders have been working
to soothe the fears of those bracing for the aftershocks.
"As a people who have seen firsthand the destruction an earthquake can
have on the fabric of a country, our hearts go out to the Italian
people. We also remember that Italy was one of the first countries to
rush to the assistance of Armenia after the 1988 Gyumri earthquake and,
as Armenians, we feel compelled to help our friends in their great time
of need, as they did for us," AGBU President Berge Setrakian said.
Those interested in donating to AGBU’s special Italian Earthquake fund
can send their checks to AGBU Italian Earthquake Relief, 55 East 59th
Street, New York, NY 10022 or donate online 24 hours a day at
Established in 1906, AGBU is the world’s largest non-profit Armenian
organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU ()
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians on six continents.