Building Belonging
Alexia Nazarian is rethinking how communities grow, connect, and endure
Image
August 10, 2012
They Did it Again: AGBU Young Professionals of Chicago Raise Thousands More for Hye Camp Scholarships
Last year at this time, the AGBU Young Professionals of Chicago (YP Chicago) presented Hye Camp with $4,000, enough funds to award ten scholarships to Armenian youth to attend the weeklong summer camp. This summer, YP Chicago wrote yet another check – this time for $5,000, which will continue to help Armenian youth in the Midwest join Hye Camp.
In June 2011, YP Chicago used the city's 5K "Race for the Taste" as a platform to fundraise for Hye Camp scholarships, and the results exceeded all expectations. Its success inspired YP Chicago to make fundraising with the race an annual tradition. Anticipation for this year's June 3, race was built through a series of additional fundraisers that the YPs organized all throughout the year. Donations arrived from as far as California and Texas, and on the day of the race, more than a dozen members of the local Armenian community participated, including Peter Boyajian, a young camper. Peter not only helped raise funds for his peers at Hye Camp, but was also awarded a medal for his record time.
On Saturday, July 28, 2012, after months of hard work, YP Steering Committee members, who are also alumni of Hye Camp, presented the check to the Very Rev. Fr. Aren Jebejian, Director of Hye Camp. Following the donation, Harry Madanyan, YP Chicago's Senior Advisor, commented, "We are thrilled that Hye Camp continues to thrive and brings together Armenian youth from all over the Midwest, and to contribute to the development of the future leaders of our community."
Hye Camp is a unique, Christian-based youth camp for Armenian children 8 to 15 years of age who want to learn more about their heritage and the Armenian Church. The program includes a variety of fun and educational activities. Every year, dozens of families apply for scholarships, and there are always a few parishes that struggle to raise enough money for campers.
Please note that archived content may appear distorted as it has been stripped of formatting and original images.
Features From Our Magazines
On With the Show
Behind the curtain, Saro Keresteciyan keeps Cirque du Soleil’s performers stage-ready
The Passion-Purpose Connection
Gracy Sarkissian on finding long-term success in a fluid job market
Dreams and Means
The Hrag Hamalian school of thought: Equip under-estimated students with the opportunities and resources to achieve their goals
Partners in Criticism
How Hrag Vartanian and Veken Gueyikian democratized art journalism and commentary with Hyperallergic
Success Unscripted
The serendipitous story of Silva Basmajian’s brilliant career in documentary films
Is AI the New FYI?
How Armenian news media can fall prey to false data, fake content, and diluted meaning
