NEAR EAST FOUNDATION LAUNCHES NATIONWIDE EXHIBIT TO COMMEMORATE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICA’S RESPONSE TO THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

PR Newswire
April 1, 2015 Wednesday 10:09 AM EST

They Shall Not Perish: The Story of Near East Relief Tours Major U.S.

Cities in 2015

NEW YORK, April 1, 2015

TheNear East Foundation (NEF), a non-profit international development
organization building sustainable, prosperous societies in the Middle
East and Africa, announces the launch of its traveling exhibition,
They Shall Not Perish: The Story of Near East Relief, in commemoration
of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and of NEF’s
founding. Featuring high quality reproductions of archival photographs
and documents, the 27-panel exhibition chronicles the launch and
legacy of NEF (formerly known as Near East Relief). As America’s first
collective display of humanitarian aid overseas in direct response to
reports of genocidal acts against Armenians and other minorities of
the Ottoman Empire, NEF’s relief efforts over fifteen years raised
more than $116 million and mobilized hundreds of volunteers to save
more than one million lives and care for 132,000 orphans.

The exhibit premiered on March 6th at theLos Angeles Central Public
Library(L.A. Public Library) in collaboration with theArmenian
National Committee of America-Western Region’s (ANCA-WR) initiative,
America We Thank You: An Armenian Tribute to Near East Relief. Over
300 guests gathered for a reception on the eve of the premiere to
listen to remarks given by co-sponsors, L.A. City Councilman Paul
Krekorian, L.A. City Librarian John F. Szabo and representatives of
the ANCA-WR and NEF. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti was also a co-sponsor
of the event. The L.A. Public Library is one of the largest libraries
in the Western United States, hosting an average of 5,000 visitors a
day. The exhibit, which continues to generate strong public interest,
will be on display at the L.A. Public Library through April 30, 2015
and then go on to other various libraries, government buildings and
educational institutions in the Western United States.

NEF will continue to tour They Shall Not Perish across major U.S.

cities, including Boston, Chicago, New York and San Francisco. In
addition, the exhibit will be featured at the Marriot Marquis Hotel
in Washington, D.C. during the commemorative events being held on
May 7-9, organized by the committee for National Commemoration of
the Armenian Genocide Centennial.

“This exhibition begins with a story of great sadness, but it grows
to encompass stories of unparalleled courage, generosity and hope,”
said Molly Sullivan, director and curator of the Near East Relief
Historical Society, an educational initiative launched by NEF in 2014.

“Commemorating the Armenian Genocide begins with honoring the
memories and stories of the survivors and the heroic American men
and women who answered the call to action. NEF is proud to be able
to share some of these through our traveling exhibit. This is the
first time that Americans responded on this scale to a humanitarian
crisis abroad. The experience and the spirit of 1915 has since become
a cornerstone of our humanitarian impulse as individuals and as a
nation,” said Charles Benjamin, president of the Near East Foundation.

In April, NEF will also launch theNear East Relief Online Museum,
which will digitize and feature collections of photographs, letters,
journal entries and more to serve as a resource for scholars,
students and anyone with an interest in this critical period in
American philanthropic history. NEF has partnered with the Genocide
Education Project and the Armenian Cultural Association of America
to produce an educational curriculum, which provides high school
teachers with a companion lesson guide on the Near East Relief and
America’s humanitarian response to the Armenian Genocide.

“This year marks a major milestone in the timeline of international
humanitarian aid. It all began one century ago with Near East Relief,”
said Shant Mardirossian, chairman of NEF. “We honor its legacy through
the work we do today.”

For more information and to obtain a digital version of the
exhibition for display in your local venue, please contact director
and curator of the Near East Relief Historical Society, Molly Sullivan
atmsullivan@neareast.orgor (347) 915-3016.

Near East Foundation

Based in Syracuse, New York, the Near East Foundation is a non-profit
international development organization that works to build inclusive,
prosperous and sustainable societies in the Middle East and northern
Africa by providing vulnerable and disenfranchised people with skills,
training and resources to fully engage and prosper in their own
communities and economies.

NEF began in 1915 when a group of American political, business and
philanthropic leaders came together to provide critical relief to
those affected by the Armenian Genocide. As the first mass American
movement to send humanitarian aid overseas, NEF has since defined
the American tradition of international relief and development.

NEF celebrates its Centennial this year and continues to lead programs
that strengthen resilience and create economic opportunity through
small business creation, agricultural development, peacebuilding,
and civic engagement, working together with community leaders and
local partners.

To learn more about NEF’s projects, please visit

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress