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Wicked Local, MA
May 4 2013
Strength in the Face of Tragedy: A Thank You to the Armenian-American Community
Belmont, Mass. - On April 19, the Massachusetts Armenian community
demonstrated the kind of resilience and courage that has inspired us
to be `Boston Strong' in the wake of last week's tragedies.
The 98th anniversary Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide was to
take place on Friday, April 19, at the Massachusetts State House. We
expected hundreds of people from Watertown and surrounding communities
to attend. The planned march to the New England Holocaust Memorial
and Armenian Heritage Park had already been cancelled due to the
Boston Marathon bombings - but there was a considered decision by the
planning committee to move forward with the State House event.
All that transpired in the early hours of Friday changed those plans.
With Boston and Watertown on lockdown, the plans for the Commemoration
were put aside, our energy directed toward getting the stay-indoors
request out to residents of Watertown and surrounding communities.
Beyond Watertown's borders, other communities were also impacted by
Friday's events. A class of Wilmington High School students, who had
studied the Genocide and had planned to attend the Commemoration, is
now part of a community mourning the loss of Officer Sean Collier.
Our months of planning would no longer culminate in a Commemoration
that would fill the House of Representatives Chamber with hundreds of
people, young and old, school children and scouts, guest speakers and
Genocide survivors. Any momentary disappointment was soon replaced
with concern and prayers for our friends in Watertown, who were
undergoing a horrific ordeal.
We spread the word that the Commemoration had been cancelled, but the
catering order for 350 had already been prepared by Ani Catering of
Belmont. The planning committee agreed to donate the food to law
enforcement in Watertown.
Coordinating this donation, when most of the committee members were
subject to the shelter-in-place order, was hardly an easy task. Lalig
Musserian of Belmont, the Commemoration coordinator, worked quickly,
contacting Hovannes Janessian of Ani Catering. They worked out a plan
with Sheriff Peter Koutoujian's office to have the food safely
delivered to law enforcement in Watertown. Hovannes waited for hours
with the food before the police granted Lalig permission to drive to
his catering shop in Belmont. Around noon on Friday, Lalig and her
husband received clearance. Together, they loaded the van with brown
bags of sweet rolls, cookies, brownies, cheeses, and beverages. They
drove through empty streets and made their way through checkpoints
before a member of the Sheriff's office greeted them and accepted the
donation. They were also able to hand out brown bag lunches to several
Watertown police officers on patrol.
We are sure that there are many more untold stories of kindness,
courage, and generosity in the face of danger that will eventually
emerge. But Lalig, Hovannes, and Watertown: you inspired us with your
strength on Friday. The Armenian Genocide Commemoration would have
allowed us to gather together to remember the 1.5 million lives lost
in the Armenian Genocide, to stand up for survivors, and to celebrate
the contributions of Armenian-Americans to our society. Your
contribution on Friday touched us deeply.
Last week, we saw people from all over the world come together to
support Boston. The sense emerged that `We are all Bostonians.' The
Armenian community also came together- once again- in the face of
tragedy. Yours is truly a story of perseverance, and we thank you for
your example.
Megan Wood is Representative Jonathan Hecht's legislative aide. Jeanne
Mooney and Anne Johnson Landry serve on Senator Will Brownsberger's
legislative staff.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/belmont/news/opinions/x63474591/Strength-in-the-Face-of-Tragedy-A-Thank-You-to-the-Armenian-American-Community#axzz2SLnWhxMP
From: Baghdasarian
May 4 2013
Strength in the Face of Tragedy: A Thank You to the Armenian-American Community
Belmont, Mass. - On April 19, the Massachusetts Armenian community
demonstrated the kind of resilience and courage that has inspired us
to be `Boston Strong' in the wake of last week's tragedies.
The 98th anniversary Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide was to
take place on Friday, April 19, at the Massachusetts State House. We
expected hundreds of people from Watertown and surrounding communities
to attend. The planned march to the New England Holocaust Memorial
and Armenian Heritage Park had already been cancelled due to the
Boston Marathon bombings - but there was a considered decision by the
planning committee to move forward with the State House event.
All that transpired in the early hours of Friday changed those plans.
With Boston and Watertown on lockdown, the plans for the Commemoration
were put aside, our energy directed toward getting the stay-indoors
request out to residents of Watertown and surrounding communities.
Beyond Watertown's borders, other communities were also impacted by
Friday's events. A class of Wilmington High School students, who had
studied the Genocide and had planned to attend the Commemoration, is
now part of a community mourning the loss of Officer Sean Collier.
Our months of planning would no longer culminate in a Commemoration
that would fill the House of Representatives Chamber with hundreds of
people, young and old, school children and scouts, guest speakers and
Genocide survivors. Any momentary disappointment was soon replaced
with concern and prayers for our friends in Watertown, who were
undergoing a horrific ordeal.
We spread the word that the Commemoration had been cancelled, but the
catering order for 350 had already been prepared by Ani Catering of
Belmont. The planning committee agreed to donate the food to law
enforcement in Watertown.
Coordinating this donation, when most of the committee members were
subject to the shelter-in-place order, was hardly an easy task. Lalig
Musserian of Belmont, the Commemoration coordinator, worked quickly,
contacting Hovannes Janessian of Ani Catering. They worked out a plan
with Sheriff Peter Koutoujian's office to have the food safely
delivered to law enforcement in Watertown. Hovannes waited for hours
with the food before the police granted Lalig permission to drive to
his catering shop in Belmont. Around noon on Friday, Lalig and her
husband received clearance. Together, they loaded the van with brown
bags of sweet rolls, cookies, brownies, cheeses, and beverages. They
drove through empty streets and made their way through checkpoints
before a member of the Sheriff's office greeted them and accepted the
donation. They were also able to hand out brown bag lunches to several
Watertown police officers on patrol.
We are sure that there are many more untold stories of kindness,
courage, and generosity in the face of danger that will eventually
emerge. But Lalig, Hovannes, and Watertown: you inspired us with your
strength on Friday. The Armenian Genocide Commemoration would have
allowed us to gather together to remember the 1.5 million lives lost
in the Armenian Genocide, to stand up for survivors, and to celebrate
the contributions of Armenian-Americans to our society. Your
contribution on Friday touched us deeply.
Last week, we saw people from all over the world come together to
support Boston. The sense emerged that `We are all Bostonians.' The
Armenian community also came together- once again- in the face of
tragedy. Yours is truly a story of perseverance, and we thank you for
your example.
Megan Wood is Representative Jonathan Hecht's legislative aide. Jeanne
Mooney and Anne Johnson Landry serve on Senator Will Brownsberger's
legislative staff.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/belmont/news/opinions/x63474591/Strength-in-the-Face-of-Tragedy-A-Thank-You-to-the-Armenian-American-Community#axzz2SLnWhxMP
From: Baghdasarian