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ARMENIAN-AMERICAN GROUP KICKS OFF FUND RAISER DRIVE TO HELP DISADVANTAGED YOUNG ADULTS IN ARMENIA
Adrienne Krikorian
Business Wire
Mer Doon, Inc.
Published: Aug 16, 2007
Today, Our Home - Mer Doon, Inc., one of America's top Armenian
support organizations, announced a new national fund raising effort
to help disadvantaged young adults in Armenia.
The campaign features the sale of a wristband designed in the colors of
the Armenian flag - orange, blue and red - and inscribed with the words
"Band of Hope" "Remembered and Loved." Wearing of the band conveys
the message that the holder is proud to have helped support a cause
in Armenia that is bringing relief and hope to people who need help.
The Band of Hope is available for quantity purchase by churches,
youth groups and other organizations desiring to make a difference
in the world.
They may be purchased through Mer-Doon in packages of 100 individually
wrapped units for $60, plus freight costs, per package and used by
organizations in their own fund raising drives,
Our Home - Mer Doon, Inc. is an American non-profit group, sponsored
in part by the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North
America. Mer Doon provides support to transitional homes in Armenia
for disadvantaged young women, so that they can acquire education
and life skills that will enable them to live production lives.
"The members of the Mer-Doon Board come from all across the United
States, demonstrating nationwide support for this uniquely important
project," said Adrienne Krikorian, President of the organization. "Our
desire is to provide a family environment for these young women who
have spent their lives growing up in orphanages or who come from
disadvantaged lifestyles in Armenia. Our goal is to provide them with
a safe and effective means to transition to adulthood with realistic
hope for living a happy and productive life. The program meets a
critical need in Armenia, as hundreds of orphan and disadvantaged
children supported by the Diaspora grow into adults. Without programs
like Mer Doon, the alternative lifestyles facing some of these young
women are catastrophic."
Armenia gained its independence after the fall of the Soviet Union
in 1991, following a devastating earthquake in 1988. Shortly after
gaining its independence, Armenia successfully supported the war
of independence by Armenians living in the adjacent territory of
Nagorno-Karabagh, formerly under the control of Azerbaijan. These
events led to massive numbers of orphans and families without the
means to support their children.
Armenia, estimated to have a population of about three million, is
located in an area historically known as the "cradle of civilization,"
sharing borders with Turkey, Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. Estimates
of the number of Armenians now living in the Diaspora (outside of
Armenia) range from four-eight million. Substantial communities of
Armenians exist in the United States, on both coasts, as well as in
the upper mid-west areas, including both Detroit and Chicago.
More information about Mer-Doon is available on the Internet
at www.Mer-Doon.Org. Orders for the Band of Hope and inquiries
about Mer Doon may be made through e-mail by sending a message to
[email protected] or by calling Krikorian at (818) 347-6107 or Mer
Doon's U.S. Program Director, Julie Askekian, at (860) 828-6160.
Adrienne Krikorian
Business Wire
Mer Doon, Inc.
Published: Aug 16, 2007
Today, Our Home - Mer Doon, Inc., one of America's top Armenian
support organizations, announced a new national fund raising effort
to help disadvantaged young adults in Armenia.
The campaign features the sale of a wristband designed in the colors of
the Armenian flag - orange, blue and red - and inscribed with the words
"Band of Hope" "Remembered and Loved." Wearing of the band conveys
the message that the holder is proud to have helped support a cause
in Armenia that is bringing relief and hope to people who need help.
The Band of Hope is available for quantity purchase by churches,
youth groups and other organizations desiring to make a difference
in the world.
They may be purchased through Mer-Doon in packages of 100 individually
wrapped units for $60, plus freight costs, per package and used by
organizations in their own fund raising drives,
Our Home - Mer Doon, Inc. is an American non-profit group, sponsored
in part by the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North
America. Mer Doon provides support to transitional homes in Armenia
for disadvantaged young women, so that they can acquire education
and life skills that will enable them to live production lives.
"The members of the Mer-Doon Board come from all across the United
States, demonstrating nationwide support for this uniquely important
project," said Adrienne Krikorian, President of the organization. "Our
desire is to provide a family environment for these young women who
have spent their lives growing up in orphanages or who come from
disadvantaged lifestyles in Armenia. Our goal is to provide them with
a safe and effective means to transition to adulthood with realistic
hope for living a happy and productive life. The program meets a
critical need in Armenia, as hundreds of orphan and disadvantaged
children supported by the Diaspora grow into adults. Without programs
like Mer Doon, the alternative lifestyles facing some of these young
women are catastrophic."
Armenia gained its independence after the fall of the Soviet Union
in 1991, following a devastating earthquake in 1988. Shortly after
gaining its independence, Armenia successfully supported the war
of independence by Armenians living in the adjacent territory of
Nagorno-Karabagh, formerly under the control of Azerbaijan. These
events led to massive numbers of orphans and families without the
means to support their children.
Armenia, estimated to have a population of about three million, is
located in an area historically known as the "cradle of civilization,"
sharing borders with Turkey, Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. Estimates
of the number of Armenians now living in the Diaspora (outside of
Armenia) range from four-eight million. Substantial communities of
Armenians exist in the United States, on both coasts, as well as in
the upper mid-west areas, including both Detroit and Chicago.
More information about Mer-Doon is available on the Internet
at www.Mer-Doon.Org. Orders for the Band of Hope and inquiries
about Mer Doon may be made through e-mail by sending a message to
[email protected] or by calling Krikorian at (818) 347-6107 or Mer
Doon's U.S. Program Director, Julie Askekian, at (860) 828-6160.