ARMENIA TREE PROJECT
400 W Cummings Park, Suite 3900
Woburn, MA 01801
Tel: (617) 926-TREE 
Web: www.ArmeniaTree.org

PRESS RELEASE


ATP Opens Charles G. Bilezikian Greenhouse Where Plants and Minds Will Grow

By Ani Melkonyan

MARGAHOVIT--On June 15, Armenia Tree Project (ATP) opened the Charles G. 
Bilezikian Greenhouse in Margahovit Village, Lori. Attending the opening 
ceremony were the Bilezikian Family of Boston, ATP Executive Director Jeanmarie 
Papelian and team, the Deputy Governor of Lori, the Head of Margahovit 
community, Margahovit school principal, and guests. 

The greenhouse complex is situated beside the Michael and Virginia Ohanian 
Center for Environmental Studies, where more than 2,000 students are hosted 
annually. Features include a 250 square meter experimental greenhouse, a 
two-story building, and ATP's first outdoor classroom.

The outdoor classroom will advance ATP's environmental education programs and 
enable children to increase their practical knowledge of the environment. As a 
green space for active learning, it creates the opportunity to experience 
nature up close and personal so that students may value and come to love it. 
Students will build new skills, try their hands out at gardening, and actively 
monitor the progress of their work. They will also be able to do research 
projects and explore the ecosystems and biodiversity they find in their 
surroundings.

"Our students are ecstatic about this new space! We envision our outdoor 
trainings leading to the creation of similar green areas in schools where our 
students and teachers come from. This will greatly contribute to peer-to-peer 
education in communities," says Environmental Education Program Manager 
Kristine Hovsepyan.

The new experimental greenhouse will enable ATP to grow healthier trees for 
forestry plantings and increase tree survival rates. The greenhouse has the 
capacity to produce around 30,000 seedlings annually. It is supported by the 
adjacent building, which includes a laboratory for seed quality testing, a 
storage room for seeds and plants, and a third room for staff. The upstairs 
floor serves as lodging, where visitors can spend the night and enjoy the magic 
Lori has to offer.

"ATP was one of Chuck's favorite non-profits. He would be pleased to know that 
the greenhouse was built and that it is being dedicated to him. He always 
appreciated a good landscape. He would have been thrilled to participate in 
greening a country," said Doreen Bilezikian, wife of the late Charles G. 
Bilezikian.
The greenhouse complex was gifted to ATP in memory of Charles G. Bilezikian, 
who was the son of Armenian immigrants from the Boston area. With his wife 
Doreen, Charles developed a successful business known as The Christmas Tree 
Shops. He was a generous philanthropist who loved Armenia and had a special 
place in his heart for Armenia Tree Project's mission to use trees to improve 
the standard of living in Armenia. After his death in 2016, Charles' wife and 
sons Gregory and Jeffrey decided to honor his commitment to a green Armenia by 
sponsoring this project in his memory.

"We are so grateful to the Bilezikian Family for funding this project as it 
will not only create new learning opportunities for our students and help 
develop Margahovit community, but also enhance the quality of our forests," 
says Executive Director Jeanmarie Papelian. 

Armenia Tree Project has planted more than 5,700,000 trees since its inception 
in 1994. It is one of the major tree planting programs in the country and in 
its 25 years has successfully established four nurseries, two environmental 
education centers, and has greened community areas in every province of Armenia 
as well as in Artsakh. In the process, the organization has provided employment 
for hundreds of people and provided vital resources to thousands of village 
residents. For more information visit www.ArmeniaTree.org.

PHOTO CAPTIONS 

(1) RIBBON CUTTING

The late Charles G. Bilezikian's wife Doreen officially opens the greenhouse in 
Margahovit Village on June 15

(2) FAMILY AT THE GREENHOUSE

The Bilezikian Family in front of the Charles G. Bilezikian Greenhouse in 
Margahovit Village

ATP Bilezikian Ribbon Cutting.jpg
ATP Bilezikian Ribbon Cutting.jpg

ATP Bilezikians at Greenhouse.jpg

ATP Opens Charles Bilezikian Greenhouse.docx
ATP Opens Charles Bilezikian Greenhouse.docx

Bilezikian Greenhouse Opening - Armenian.docx
Bilezikian Greenhouse Opening – Armenian.docx