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April 22, 2009
First Annual Charity Event in Plovdiv, Bulgaria Raises Funds for Armenian Institutions
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On March 21, 2009, 300 members of the Armenian community of Plovdiv, Bulgaria came together for the first annual charity dinner dance at the local Novotel Hotel. The event was jointly organized by AGBU, the Armenian Parish Council of St. Kevork Apostolic Church and the Erevan Organization.
Plovdiv, Bulgaria - On March 21, 2009, 300 members of the Armenian community of Plovdiv, Bulgaria came together for the first annual charity dinner dance at the local Novotel Hotel. The event was jointly organized by AGBU, the Armenian Parish Council of St. Kevork Apostolic Church and the Erevan Organization, and proceeds from the event were used to repair two local Armenian institutions: the Armenian Cultural Hall in Plovdiv and the gymnasium of the Victoria and Krikor Tiutiundjian Armenian School.
The event featured a festive atmosphere filled with Armenian songs and dances, as performed by the AGBU Plovdiv Erebouni Band, the Erevan Organization's Garabner dance group, and DJ Mailo, and every table was decorated with Armenian sweets, cognac and wines. Event emcees were Ani Mihaylova and Todor Bashiyanov from the Bulgarian National TV Channel 1's popular "The Show of the Channel" program, and they both helped raise awareness about the event's fundraising mission.
The event was attended by a number of special guests, including Ambassador and Mrs. Sergey Manasarian of the Republic of Armenia to Bulgaria, Ehiazar Uzunian, Honorary Consul in Plovdiv, Archpriest Kevork Hacherian, Dr. Rupen Krikorian, chair and secretary of the Eparchial Counsel in Bulgaria, Suzana Nikolova, District Manager for Plovdiv and the Todor Petkov region, Todor Hristev, leader of the National Union Attack political party, and Nina Radeva, proxy minister of the economy. Also in attendance were Elizabeth Vartanian, a teacher at the Tiutiundjian Armenian School and a representative of the Erevan Organization, and Sarkis Garabedian, lead engineer of the renovation projects, who addressed the audience about the importance of the benefit, ensuring that the Armenian community of Plovdiv supports its local institutions. The evening also featured a raffle and charity auction.
As their contribution to the fundraising initiative, the Municipality of Plovdiv donated 45,000 Bulgarian Levas (est. $30,000 USD) for the repair of the Tiutiundjian Armenian school.
The evening also featured a traditional Bulgarian Armenian dance, called "quadrille," which was organized by Hacho Chilingirian and Maxud Kevorkian and incorporated as many as 40 couples.
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