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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, October 20, 2006
AGBU Breathes New Life Into Gyumri School for Children With Special
Needs
On September 1, 2006, Gyumri Boarding School #3 for students with
special needs, in the northern Armenian province of Shirak, welcomed
this year’s student body to its newly renovated and refurbished
building. Funded by AGBU London and with the contribution of volunteers
from AGBU France, this is the first time this school, which has been
operating for 15 years and enrolls 132 children, has been renovated.
AGBU London provided funds in excess of $10,000 for this comprehensive
renovation project, paying for construction materials and hiring
contractors to complete some of the more specialized tasks. The Chapter
specifically sponsored the construction of new lavatory facilities,
replaced dormitory mattresses and beddings, and installed new flooring
throughout the institution. AGBU France Summer Camp volunteers,
who visited Armenia this past August, participated in the renovation
effort by painting school walls and bringing a much-needed touch of
color and vitality to the facility.
This project is a continuation of AGBU’s commitment to the
reconstruction and expansion of Gyumri, Armenia’s second-largest city,
which was nearly obliterated in the devastating 1988 earthquake. As
part of the organization’s dedication to resuscitating the rich
cultural, educational, and artistic life of the city, AGBU has also
constructed the Gyumri Art Academy, which houses the local campuses of
the Armenian Movie and Theater State Institute, the Music Conservatory,
and the Academy of Fine Arts. In the past, AGBU’s support also made
possible the reconstruction of Gyumri Secondary School #7 destroyed
by the earthquake, and the playground of Lord Byron School. Now,
the organization’s generosity has revived Gyumri Boarding School #3,
and promises an exciting start to the new academic year that began
this month.
Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City
with an annual budget of $34 million, AGBU preserves and promotes
the Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural and
humanitarian programs, annually serving some 400,000 Armenians in
375 countries.