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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 10, 2010

Knights and Daughters of Vartan Partner with Armenia Tree Project to Honor
Vartan Mamigonian’s Dream

By Paul Yeghiayan

In 450 AD, one year before the famous Battle of Vartanantz, General Vartan
Mamigonian led his troops to the region of Kazakh to defend Christian
Armenia against the Zoroastrian Persians. After defeating the Persians,
Mamigonian led his troops back home and along the way stopped in an area
today known as Aknaghbyur, Armenia. Exhausted, hungry, thirsty and tending
to their wounded, they amassed by a spring, later known as Vartan’s Spring.

At this moment, Vartan Mamigonian performed a notable act. He planted an
acorn to celebrate the recent victory. This deed represented his unwavering
commitment to a free and prosperous Armenia. It symbolized the hope that
lies within all Armenians who believe in the future of our homeland. Vartan
Mamigonian, who was politically savvy, knew that the odds for Armenia were
grim, and as a soldier, he must have also known that he would not live long
enough to see that acorn turn into an oak tree.

That acorn did turn into a mighty oak and survived for more than 1,500 years
before it was struck down by lightning in 1960. Vartan Mamigonian’s Oak Tree
is a legend in Armenia and people travel from all over the world to pay
respects to what is now an outdoor shrine. For generations, Armenians would
travel to what is now the village of Aknaghbyur and drink from Vartan’s
Spring and pray next to Vartan’s Tree. They did so for strength in battle,
to heal the sick, to pay homage to Vartan Mamigonian and to hope for a
better Armenia.

Today, the remnants of Vartan’s Tree remain for all to see. A khachkar and a
small church border his tree. Marshal Hovannes Baghramian visited the site
in 1976 and planted three new oaks. They now reach for the sky in the same
way that Vartan’s Oak did.

Today the border village of Aknaghbyur is struggling to survive. Under the
constant threat of violence coming from the Azerbaijani border, the
villagers eke out a living through subsistence farming. Others have left the
village, seeking opportunities elsewhere. The Mayor of Aknaghbyur, Karen
Dolmazian, approached ATP more than a year ago requesting fruit trees be
donated to the village, since most of the productive trees have died or are
too old to produce fruit.

According to Anahit Gharibyan, ATP’s Community Tree Planting program
manager, "We wanted to help, but the village did not have irrigation, so we
were worried that the trees would die." Last summer, Armenia Fund installed
both gas and irrigation lines in the village, so the opportunity was ripe
for ATP to get involved.

"When we learned about the story of Vartan Mamigonian’s tree, I couldn’t
help but see the connection between his act of hope and ATP’s reason for
coming into existence 15 years ago, which was also an act of hope," said
Carolyn Mugar, ATP’s founder.

Jeff Masarjian, ATP’s executive director, said "The only thing stopping us
now is funding for the project, so we thought to approach the Knights and
Daughters of Vartan for assistance." After several meetings with the senior
leadership of the Knights, it was decided that ATP would start a campaign to
raise money to provide 1,800 fruit trees for the village.

"With around 180 families in Aknaghbyur, our goal is to provide 10 fruit
trees for each family and to provide them with training and ongoing support
to ensure that these trees have a high survival rate and are productive so
the families have food," said Masarjian. "The trees that we will provide
have been grown in our state-of-the-art nurseries for four to six years.
They are the highest quality fruit trees available in the Caucasus, so we
are confident that they will be of benefit to the villagers in Aknaghbyur."

Haig Deranian, Avak Sbarabed of the Knight of Vartan, states "This was an
easy decision for us. The connection with Vartan Mamigonian is strong and
this project allows the Knights and the Daughters to directly improve the
lives of villagers in Aknaghbyur, Armenia." Deranian states, "We understand
the connection between food security and national security, so this is a
very important project for the Knights and Daughters. We have every
confidence in ATP, who has proven itself time and again. If this project
goes as well as we hope, the possibility for future collaborative projects
remains a strong possibility."

States Masarjian, "Many of our supporters are also members of the Knights
and Daughters of Vartan. Their commitment to improving the lives of
Armenians is unquestionable and we are proud to work with them to assist the
village of Aknaghbyur." The project, entitled "Honoring the Past, Investing
in the Future" will take place over 2010-2011.

Since 1994, Armenia Tree Project has planted and restored more than
3,500,000 trees at over 800 sites around the country and created hundreds of
jobs for impoverished Armenians in tree-regeneration programs. The
organization’s three tiered initiatives are tree planting, community
development, and environmental education. For additional information and to
support ATP’s mission, visit the web site

PHOTO CAPTIONS

This rare photograph from 1959 shows Armenians in the border village of
Aknaghbyur with an Oak Tree planted by General Vartan Mamigonian more than
1,500 years ago

A khachkar and a small church surround the site of Vartan Mamigonian’s Oak
Tree in Aknaghbyur, where ATP and the Knights of Vartan plan to provide 180
families with fruit trees