FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE
Fund for Armenian Relief
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Edina N. Bobelian
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
August 14, 2006
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DR. OUNJIAN’S UNWAVERING DEVOTION TO THE STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY AT THE
OUNJIAN SCHOOL
The June-July trip to Gyumri, Armenia was Dr. John Ounjian’s second in 2006.
He visits several times each year to survey the developments of the Armenag
and Yeghisapet Ounjian School. Reopened in 2000, the school was
reconstructed in honor of Dr. Ounjian’s parents through the Fund for
Armenian Relief (FAR).
Every where he goes in Gyumri, he is welcomed with ‘good mornings’ and
‘hellos’ by the 700 students (his "children") and their smiles. Dr. Ounjian
takes pride in helping the school and its community, which has added new
meaning to his life. His actions and constant attention encourage the
students to strive for a better future.
With each trip back to Armenia, usually three per year, Dr. Ounjian
cultivates strong bonds with "his children." He knows each of their names.
Concerned about their well-being, the New Yorker motivates them to identify
their strengths and plan for adulthood (life after the Ounjian School).
In 2002, he established a university scholarship program for Ounjian School
graduates. The first year of its offering, Dr. Ounjian helped 15 students
pursue higher education at Gyumri and Yerevan universities. Since then, the
program has grown, enabling about 40 bright minds to receive an Ounjian
Scholarship each year.
Additionally, Dr. Ounjian is exploring the possibility of launching a
vocational training program for those graduates who wish to pursue technical
skills over higher education. He wants to help create opportunities for
each Ounjian School graduate to become a productive member of Armenian
society.
In May 2006, Dr. Ounjian had returned to Gyumri to preside over the school’s
graduation. He awarded diplomas to the 43 graduates and inducted them into
the Ounjian School Alumni Association, that has 200+ members. Formed one
year ago, the Alumni Association meets regularly and proposes activities to
keep the community active and involved even after high school. Recently, it
organized a literary and musical event devoted to 1600th anniversary of the
Armenian Alphabet.
On this most recent trip, Dr. Ounjian held a public meeting with the
students and community of the Ounjian School. He emphasized the importance
of education, a lesson he remembers well from his own parents, and the role
that knowledge plays in an individual’s life.
"I have been working my entire life and still do," he said. "Everybody asks
me, ‘have you retired from your job?’ or ‘are you going to leave your job?’
In such cases, I reply that while I am alive, I continue to learn through
study and work. All of life is about studying and working."
At the end of the meeting, Ounjian School graduates expressed their opinions
and characterized the Dr. Ounjian’s lecture as a lesson in life. One
student noted, "the most important thing I have learned from our benefactor
is that, in this life, one should be useful and helpful for our people and
country."
ABOUT FAR
Since its founding in response to the 1988 earthquake, FAR has served
millions of people through more than 220 relief and development programs in
Armenia and Karabagh. It has channeled more than $265 million in
humanitarian assistance by implementing a wide range of projects including
emergency relief, construction, education, medical aid, and economic
development.
FAR, one of the preeminent relief and development organizations operating
there, is dedicated to realizing the dream of a free, democratic,
prosperous, and culturally rich Armenia. It works towards a brighter future
by partnering with donors to make life a little better for our people. By
offering hope and more promising prospects in Armenia, Karabagh, and
Javakhk, FAR binds the Diaspora and the Armenian family together around the
globe.
For more information about FAR, to organize a visit to FAR projects, or to
send donations, contact the Fund for Armenian Relief at 630 Second Avenue,
New York, NY 10016; telephone (212) 889-5150; fax (212) 889-4849; web
; e-mail [email protected].
— 08/14/06
E-mail photo available upon request.
PHOTO CAPTION: FAR Benefactor Dr. John Ounjian surrounded by this year’s
Ounjian Scholarships recipients.
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