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AGBU YP of Los Angeles Raise Funds for Pan-YP Environmental Project

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  • AGBU YP of Los Angeles Raise Funds for Pan-YP Environmental Project

    AGBU Press Office
    55 East 59th Street
    New York, NY 10022-1112
    Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
    Fax: 212.319.6507
    Email: [email protected]
    Website: www.agbu.org

    PRESS RELEASE

    Thursday, April 29, 2010

    AGBU Young Professionals of Los Angeles Raise Funds for Pan-YP
    Environmental Project

    Reported by Aleen L. Khanjian

    Pasadena, CA - On March 16, 2010, the AGBU Young Professionals of Los
    Angeles (YPLA) kicked off the year with its first event by hosting a
    pre-St. Patrick's Day Mixer at Neomeze. Located in the heart of Old Town
    Pasadena, Neomeze is a hip, Mediterranean-style bar and lounge that
    served as the perfect venue for the more than 200 young professionals,
    who met, mingled, and enjoyed the cool ambiance. The mixer was carried
    out, all in the name of fundraising for a worldwide AGBU Pan-YP
    Environmental Project in Khachik, Armenia.

    Neomeze owner Hagop Giragossian, who opened his doors to the group, has
    been a generous supporter of AGBU through the years. "We have partnered
    on fundraising projects with YPLA in the past and are always open to
    doing so in the future," stated Giragossian. As a token of this
    partnership, Giragossian had promotional AGBU YPLA St. Patrick's Day
    t-shirts made for attendees of the event.

    AGBU YPLA Chairwoman Sevana Melikian was pleased with the turnout as
    well as the funds raised for the pan-AGBU YP initiative. "In an effort
    to go with a 'green' theme, we thought a St. Patrick's Day event would
    be an appropriate way to raise funds for the environmental project that
    will be taking place in Khachik this spring," said Melikian. "Our Vice
    Chair Narine Zardarian did a great job in organizing this event. We had
    a great turnout and look forward to planning more events like these
    throughout the year." Having served as YPLA's former liaison on the
    global Pan-AGBU YP Committee, Melikian was on hand to educate attendees
    about the environmental work being carried out in Armenia.

    Also in attendance was AGBU YP Liaison Kim Yacoubian from the AGBU
    Central Office in New York. "I was thrilled to see the turnout and
    mingle with a number of YPs in Los Angeles," stated Yacoubian. "YPLA's
    fundraising efforts are to be commended as this project serves a noble
    purpose. It is a crucial incentive for the young people of Khachik,
    Armenia to remain in their village, rather than move to Yerevan or,
    worse, emigrate. It is through projects like these that we can help
    maintain Armenia's border villages and ensure the security and
    sovereignty of its borders. YPLA has kicked off the fundraising for this
    project in a profound way. I am glad I was here to see it all take
    place."

    Khachik is a village consisting of 300 families in the Vayotz Dzor
    region of Armenia, located approximately 2.5 hours from Yerevan.
    Residents of Khachik live in very tight quarters, with nowhere to escape
    from their daily hardships. AGBU YP Groups from around the world are
    pooling their resources to raise money to build an environmentally
    friendly "green space" in the village - a place where locals can take
    their children for picnics and where youth can gather and feel like they
    have a place to call their own. Additionally, the park-like "green
    space" could also serve as a source of income where individuals and
    families would be able to set up coffee and tea stands in order to sell
    their local produce.

    This spring, AGBU YP members of the Yerevan Chapter, along with locals
    and the youth, will work toward turning this desolate area into a green
    haven for the young, as well as the old. They will plant trees, design
    green areas, install picnic tables and gazebos, and build a small
    playground. Partner organizations on this project include Armenia's
    Ministry of Environment and the Center for Agribusiness and Rural
    Development.

    YPLA is the Los Angeles Chapter of the AGBU Young Professionals - a
    growing network of individuals between the ages of 22 and 40, who
    individually and collectively mirror the AGBU's mission to preserve and
    promote the Armenian identity and heritage by adding dimensions to the
    lives of young professional Armenians through educational, cultural,
    social and humanitarian programs. YPLA puts on monthly activities,
    including social-networking and professional career-building events,
    signature weekend getaways, hiking and camping trips, international
    video-conferences, service-oriented activities targeted toward Armenian
    youth, benefit events, as well as casual get-togethers, where young
    Armenians can come together to exchange ideas and get to know each other
    better. YPLA is always looking for individuals who would like to
    volunteer their time either as a board member or on an event-by-event
    basis. For more information on how to get involved with YPLA, please
    contact: [email protected].

    Established in 1906, AGBU (www.agbu.org) is the world's largest
    non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
    preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
    educational, cultural and humanitarian program, annually touching the
    lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.
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