AGBU Continues Good-Will in Gyumri

Armenia's second largest city has witnessed quite the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) presence this summer with a recent €15,000 donation by the AGBU Marseilles Chapter for a central heating system at the #3 School, the 10th anniversary celebration of the AGBU-funded Art Academy, the donation of clothes to a Gyumri orphanage by AGBU Scouts in Southern California, and two Young Professional (YP) interns from Bulgaria working with Birthright Armenia.

Although Gyumri was severely devastated by the 1988 earthquake, this city in the Shirak region of Armenia has more recently blossomed culturally and educationally. Some of this growth is a result of the humanitarian work and financial donations of AGBU individuals and chapters around the world.

On May 2, 2007 Christopher Masse bequeathed a 15,000-euro donation given by the AGBU Marseilles chapter for a central heating system at Gyumri School #3, which caters to students with special needs. This donation was originally announced last February by Jean-Noel Guerini, president of the General Council and Senator of Bouches-du Rhone, and Bernard Besoian, president of AGBU Marseilles, at the AGBU-sponsored Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra concert. Guerini will visit the school in October.

The 15-year-old school was newly renovated last September and currently has 132 students enrolled in an eight-year program. At that time in 2006, AGBU's London chapter sponsored the installation of new beds, floors, and a renovated sewage system for the students. The same summer, AGBU's France Armenia Trip Volunteers helped out by painting the school's walls. Now, AGBU Marseilles has introduced a new heating system.

AGBU's ongoing work in Gyumri continued on June 4 with the 10th anniversary celebration of the organization's construction of the Art Academy. The day kicked off with the first Republican Festival of Musicians and lasted until June 10, with 500 musicians of all ages from Armenia and Karabakh participating. The organization has on more than one occasion provided aid to this center and AGBU's Director of Armenian Representation, Ashot Ghazarian, was invited to give a speech at the anniversary event.

The Academy currently has 150 students and graduates on average 20-25 alumni per year. The building includes the Movie and Theater State Institute and the Gyumri Branches of the Komitas Conservatory and Art Academy.

Around the same time of this 10th anniversary celebration, AGBU's Scouts of Pasadena, California donated eight large packages of clothing, including winter hats, gloves, scarves, toys, games and stationary to the Huys Orphange in Gyumri. The AGBU Armenian Representation office collected these gifts and assembled over 75 individual packages for each child at the orphanage. AGBU's Yerevan YP group then delivered these surprises on June 4 to the children.

"It was a great delight for the children, not only to receive these presents, but to receive this type of attention," said Shushanik Ghaltakhchyan, who delivered the gifts as part of the YP Yerevan contingent. "They wanted to do something great for us too--to sing, to dance, to perform, whatever their talents were."

In addition to financial donations, AGBU Plovdiv sent two Bulgarian Young Professionals to the Birthright Armenia internship program this past summer. Hripsime Tongurian, former YP chairwoman, and Mihran Erniassian spent eight weeks volunteering their time with a marketing agency in Gyumri which promotes the surrounding Shirak region.

AGBU will continue to help Gyumri grow with similar acts of good will in the future. This summer was only a small taste of what the organization has already done and more importantly will continue to do in its efforts to ensure Gyumri fully recovers from the devastating 1988 earthquake.