AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: press@agbu.org
Website:

PRESS RELEASE

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Gerard Tufenkjian Appointed to Head AGBU Lebanon

The Armenian General Benevolent Union’s (AGBU) Central Board of
Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Gerard Tufenkjian
as chair of the AGBU District Committee of Lebanon. Tufenkjian will
replace outgoing chair, Avedis Demirdjian, who served for many years
as the head of AGBU Lebanon and continues to be one of the
organization’s most generous benefactors. AGBU Lebanon oversees the
activities of one of the most influential districts of the world’s
largest Armenian non-profit organization.

Tufenkjian is a prominent Lebanese businessman and a lifetime member
of AGBU. He is an alumnus of AGBU’s Hovagimian-Manoogian School in
Lebanon and is active in numerous Lebanese organizations. As chair, he
will manage AGBU Lebanon’s vast array of programs, institutions and
community groups, which includes the state-of-the-art AGBU Demirdjian
Community Center, three high-achieving Armenian day schools
(Hovagimian-Manougian Middle & Secondary School, Levon Nazarian
Elementary School and Boghos Garmirian Elementary & Middle School),
two medical dispensaries, and a network of scout, athletic, youth
groups and the Vahram Papazian Theatre Group which fall under the
umbrella of AGBU’s Armenian Youth Association (AYA).

Established in 1910, AGBU Lebanon has been a major hub of the Armenian
diaspora and a breeding ground for future leaders of the Armenian
community worldwide, including AGBU’s current president, Berge
Setrakian, who began his involvement in Armenian affairs through AGBU
Lebanon’s AYA division.

"AGBU Lebanon has always played a central role in both the global
Armenian community and Lebanese society. It continues to reach out and
touch the lives of all Lebanese, while remaining committed to AGBU’s
mission to preserve and promote the Armenian identity and heritage
through educational, cultural and humanitarian programs. AGBU Lebanon
demonstrates that in the global village the strength of any community
lies in its ability to step fearlessly into the future with a strong
sense of its heritage," Setrakian said. "Tufenkjian will play a role
in ensuring that AGBU Lebanon continues to innovate and respond to the
needs of the next generation."

AGBU Lebanon has chapters in Amanos, Antelias, Beirut, Sin El-Fil,
Tripoli and Zahlé, and awards scholarships to dozens of students in
Lebanon. Its athletic program, administered by AYA, is renowned
throughout the Arab world and its AGBU-Antranik Girls team clinched
the Lebanese championship for the seventh consecutive year last month
and, by doing so, set a record in Lebanese sports history. The team
has also won the Arab Women’s Basketball Championship title numerous
times. The AGBU Demirdjian Center is a major hub of community
activities for Armenians and non-Armenians alike in the northeastern
suburbs of Beirut. The Center hosts well-attended classes, sporting
events, cultural activities and a modern health club facility.

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.