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http://asbarez.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/9.jpg From left to right: Seda Khojayan, Vicky Marashlian, and Jasik Jarahian – ARS of Western USA Members of the ARS Stepanakert “Soseh” Kindergarten Rebuilding Project Committee and Fundraiser Organizers BURBANK—Members of the Armenian Relief Society and supporters gathered at the residence of Mr. & Mrs. Harout and Vicky Marashlian on Sunday, June 4 for a fundraising luncheon and raised over $33,000 to benefit the ARS Stepanakert “Soseh” Kindergarten and the purchase of a number of necessities for the kindergarten, including children’s bedding and furnishings. Among the 80 guests were ARS Central Executive Board Vice-Chairperson Nyree Derderian; ARS Central Executive liaison to the Western Region Maral Matossian; Regional Executive Board Members Carmen Libaridian and Maro Papazian; Jackie Hawley, Jane Karageorge, and Catherine Yesayan of Sorptimist International of Glendale; Lynda Burns of the Glendale Commission on the Status of Women; previous ARS Regional Executive Board chairpersons, chapter representatives, and donors. The official re-opening ceremony of the ARS Stepanakert “Soseh” Kindergarten will be held in Artsakh on September 6, 2017. ARS regions from around the world have joined the rebuilding project initiative to help ensure that the kindergarten will continue to provide early childhood education in a nurturing environment. While the project turned into reality thanks to the government of the Artsakh Republic, which allocated the land for the kindergarten to the ARS and contributed to construction costs, the Armenian Relief Society has undertaken the greatest of responsibilities in the rebuilding project. In an effort to ensure the smooth progression of the project, the ARS Central Executive Board formed a committee, which focused on fundraising for the project through events and programs throughout the Western and Eastern United States and Canada. ARS members Jasik Jarahian, Seda Khojayan, and Vicky Marashlian represent the Western Region on the ARS Stepanakert “Soseh” Kindergarten Rebuilding Project Committee. As a result of their dedication, the ARS of Western USA has brought its maximum participation to the rebuilding project. During the event, each of the three committee members delivered remarks to guests, explaining the progress and goals of the rebuilding project. While this event may be one of the last ones in the region to benefit the project, the ARS of Western USA extends its utmost gratitude to all the supporters, who have helped further this cause. http://hyeforum.com/index.php?app=forums&module=post&section=post&do=new_post&f=4

http://asbarez.com/App/Asbarez/eng/2014/12/armenbacon.jpg BY ARMEN BACON When anyone or anything turns 100-years-old, it seems only right that there should be a party or celebration. So when Fresno’s “red brick church,” Holy “T” as so many of us call it, sent out invitations marking the hundredth anniversary of its sanctuary, Armenians everywhere took note. RSVP-ing with delight, we inked the date on calendars and combed closets for our Sunday best (black tie optional) attire. Knowing right then and there blinding sequins and glitter would fill the room, I told my mother we’d pull out all the stops and that she should get out her mauve, lacey dress – the one she wore to my daughter’s wedding. As for me, filling out the response card and sending in our reservation was simply a formality triggering the arrival of countless, childhood memories – each an appetizer to an evening I knew would bring the past into present. What was it, I wondered, about the church? Was it the billowing incense, a scent so strong and sacred it often transported me to another world? Was it the hymns I listened to while secretly watching my grandmother drop to her knees and weep in sorrow? Her family had been sacrificed in the Genocide and although she never spoke a word of it to any of us, she carried the weight of her grief into every moment of her life. Read more:http://asbarez.com/129847/the-true-heart-of-an-old-armenian-town/