Small World
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October 24, 2007
Concerts and Cruises: Toronto Successfully Raises Over $9,000 for Nor Jraberd Village in Karabakh
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Guests at the "Noyan Tapan" cruise on Lake Ontario. -
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(Left to Right) Mrs. Sarkis Assadourian, former AGBU Toronto Chairwoman Knar Basmadjian, pianist Lucine Khachatryan, and Judge Sarkis Assadourian at the June 26 fundraising event for the AGBU Karabakh Repopulation Project.
As the summer came to a close, AGBU's Toronto Chapter hosted two events to raise funds and awareness for the organization's Karabakh Repopulation Project, with a focus on the Canadian-sponsored Nor Jraberd village.
On June 26, 2007, a crowd of over 175 people gave a continuous standing ovation for 24-year-old concert pianist, Lusine Khachatryan. This award-winning talent from Armenia mesmerized the audience for over two hours at Toronto's AGBU Alex Manoogian Cultural Center with a flawless piano rendition of works by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, and finally Arno Babajanian.
A reception hosted by Toronto's AGBU members in honor of Lusine followed her musical recital. The proceeds of over $5,700 from the concert went to AGBU Canada's Karabakh Repopulation Project in Nor Jraberd.
Another event for the same cause was sponsored by AGBU Toronto this past summer. On July 21, the Canada Armenia Business Council (CABC) and AGBU members, colleagues and friends gathered on the Pioneer Princess for a four-hour scenic "Noyan Tapan" cruise on Lake Ontario. The ship departed from Toronto's Queen Quay and 75 guests dined and danced to Armenian music throughout their journey. Over $4,000 from this event will be donated to the Nor Jraberd Repopulation Project.
To date, the Toronto group has raised a total of over $92,000 for the Karabakh Repopulation Project, which will help repopulate areas of Karabakh devastated by war. During both events, the common sentiment amongst participants was to encourage more events like them to bring awareness of the conditions in Karabakh, particularly in Nor Jraberd, and provide information as to how Armenians from around the world can help and support the people there.
Nor Jraberd is a collaborative effort of AGBU Montreal, AGBU Toronto and other Armenian communities in Vancouver, Ottawa and Calgary to rebuild a village and name it Nor Jraberd (New Water Fortress) in the Mardakert region of Karabakh--the fourth village in AGBU's Karabakh Repopulation Project. For more information, please visit www.norjraberd.org.
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