by David Zenian
The Armenian General Benevolent Union's Demirdjian Center in Beirut is breaking new ground every day, thanks to its open door policy which is attracting not only young Armenians but Lebanese as well.
"We needed a facility like this to better integrate with our environment. A center is a place where people meet and make new friends, a place where not only Armenians meet each other, but they also mix with fellow Lebanese from all walks of life," says benefactor Seta Demirdjian who is one of the driving forces behind the modern facility on the eastern outskirts of the Lebanese capital overlooking the Mediterranean sea.
In the little more than a year since its completion, the multi-million dollar facility, which was built with a major donation from the Sarkis, Avedis and Hagop Demirdjian families in honor of their late parents and contributions from a number of friends, has already become a household name, thanks to its new approach and true "Armenian hospitality."
It is a place where Armenians and Lebanese rub shoulders every day-at the state-of-the-art fitness center, the basketball field, its snack bar, flower arrangement classes, summer day camp for children, music recitals, banquets and dozens of other programs that keep the center more than active throughout the year.
"We opened the center to non-Armenians not just to generate income, but also to share what we have with everyone, and if this includes non-Armenians, why not," Ms. Demirdjian said in a recent interview.
"We need to mix better with our environment and avoid the ghetto mentality. We have to reach out and better integrate with our society. We live, after all, in Lebanon and we have to be good Lebanese citizens as well as good Armenians," she said.
Opening the Center to non-Armenians also is a valuable public relations tool.
"This gives the AGBU a chance to show others who we are and what we are doing. It gives us the much needed connections with the Lebanese society and people in business and politics. It serves like an indirect lobbying tool, much like the United States. Who you know is very important, and here we get to know some of the people that count," Mrs. Demirdjian said.
The Greek Ambassador recently rented the Center's main hall to celebrate his country's national day. The French Embassy did the same for an art exhibition and the Mexican Embassy used the hall for a major reception.
"These events attract a lot of foreigners who are indirectly-and sometimes directly-introduced to the AGBU as a worldwide organization, and leaves a good impression," she said.
Mrs. Demirdjian, the wife of AGBU Central Board member Sarkis Demirdjian who also financed the major expansion of AGBU's Manoogian-Demirdjian school in California, heads the Center's management team which supervises the daily activities with the many volunteers who are involved in energizing the Armenian youth.
With her initiative and hands-on involvement, the Center recently opened a modern physical fitness facility which has 200 paying members, including dozens of non-Armenians.
The Center also provides ballet classes which have an enrollment of 60 youngsters and a children's gymnastics class, with 23 students.
"We are trying to cater to all age groups, and this is why we recently added computer classes that are primarily designed for mothers whose children are already exposed to the new technology. This helps bridge the generation gap," Mrs. Demirdjian said.
Already a beehive of activity, the Center took the bold step of adding a summer camp for young children, especially for those enrolled in non-Armenian schools.
"We realized that many of these children are missing out on the Armenian language and culture. They need to get into an Armenian atmosphere at a young age, and the summer program was the answer," Mrs. Demirdjian said.
The various programs generate a large portion of the cash needed for the up-keep of the the modern facility which costs more than 100,000 dollars a year to maintain.
But the special programs and activities are not open for only those who can pay.
"We don't want the Center to be an ivory tower. There is room here for everybody. We are here to serve the Armenian community, especially the youth" she said.
The Center serves as the headquarters of AGBU Lebanon District Committee, chaired by Mr. Avedis Demirdjian, and AGBU's Armenian Youth Association (AYA).
The AYA, chaired by Mr. Garo Jeghelian, has 500 scouts, soccer teams, and a strong professional basketball team which ranked fourth in Lebanon this year among the dozens of national teams.
Basketball has in recent years become the sport of choice for millions of Lebanese, attracting hundreds of thousands of supporters and enthusiasts.
Basketball, Mr. Jeghelian says, is a serious matter in Lebanon, and the AYA Antranik team, which has a number of foreign, including American players who are paid top dollars, is one of the most popular in the country.
The popularity of basketball has made AGBU-AYA Antranik a house-hold name -- at least with basketball enthusiasts.
"We could not have bought this name recognition with money. In recent weeks, the team was approached by Adidas who offered to sponsor most of our expenses for next season. At present the team is sponsored by Nike," one of the administrative managers said.
"Antranik's success on the basketball field has energized the AGBU youth. It's nice to be on the side of the winning team. Teenagers feel proud to be AGBU-AYA members," he said.
With the talents and enthusiasm of an endless list of longtime, committed volunteers like Mr. Garbis Markarian, Mr. Mike Mardirian, Mr. Garbis Dantsuigian, Mr. Arthur Nazarian, Ms. Arsho Tutunjian and others, the Demirdjian Center has proved to be a success story where its sports, educational and cultural programs are doing more for AGBU than a dozen of public relation campaigns put together.
