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ZORYAN INSTITUTE OF CANADA, INC.
255 Duncan Mill Rd., Suite 310
Toronto, ON, Canada M3B 3H9
Tel: 416-250-9807 Fax: 416-512-1736 E-mail: [email protected]
www.zoryaninstitute.org
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: George Shirinian
DATE: September 16, 2004
Tel: 416-250-9807
Newly-wed Couples Donate Thousands to Zoryan Institute on Their Wedding Day
Boston, MA - In early June, at the wedding reception of Nellie
Yeretsian and Shahan Yacoubian in Chicago, the place-card put out
for the guests informed them that:
To honor our grandparents, we have made a financial contribution to
the following institutions:
~The Zoryan Institute, devoted to research, documentation, publication
and education on contemporary issues in the history, politics,
society and culture of Armenians and Armenia.
~Armenian General Benevolent Union's Hye Geen, devoted to empower
Armenian women in their changing roles. Hye Geen sponsors a day care
center for pregnant women in Gyumri, Armenia.
Similarly, in early September, at the wedding reception of Lisa
Siraganian and Brian Hewitt in Maryland, seating cards for each guest
announced the following message:
In your honor, a donation has been given to Church World Service
Emergency Response for aid to Sudan and Afghanistan, and to the Zoryan
Institute, an international center devoted to researching the history
and culture of Armenians.
"Who said our youth is not involved in Armenian affairs," asked Arsinée
Khanjian, a member of the Corporate Board of the Zoryan Institute. "I
understand exactly how these young people feel. They support the Zoryan
Institute because they find answers to the fundamental questions of
history, memory, and identity, burning inside of them. They feel
empowered with the tools of history, facts, references, analysis,
and perspective that the institute provides through its seminars,
conferences and publications." She continued by relating that this
was her own experience some eighteen years ago, when she joined the
ranks of Zoryan supporters, because "Through the institute's work,
I learned how to situate my history in the history of other nations,
other cultures of the world, thus reconciling my identity as a
Diasporan Armenian and as a Canadian."
"There seems to be an interesting new trend developing among
young professionals in North America, of making donations on their
wedding day to organizations that they identify with emotionally and
intellectually, such as Zoryan," noted George Shirinian, Executive
Director of the institute. "This phenomenon is all the more interesting
as it occurs at a time in their lives when the young couples, instead
of focusing on themselves and their immediate families and friends,
are thinking about the welfare of humanity and organizations which
devote their efforts to serving that cause."
Shahan Yacoubian is finishing residency in Orthopedics at Albert
Einstein in the Bronx, and Nellie Yacoubian is a graduate student at
New York University. Describing the motivation for their selfless
gesture, Nellie explained, "Our grandparents were afraid that
the death and suffering of their loved ones would be relegated to
the dustbin of history. They were deeply unsettled by the power of
historical revisionism at the service of political convenience. The
Zoryan Institute is the fulfillment of their hopes for a scholarly,
unshakable rendition of the facts."
Lisa Siraganian, who is currently doing a post-doctoral fellowship
in English Literature at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH, and Brian
Hewitt, who is Senior Software Engineer at Tele-Atlas in Hanover,
had this to say. "A marriage not only connects two people to one
another, but also connects us as a couple to a larger community.
For this reason, we felt, along with Lisa's parents, that it was
important to recognize and support those communities, both locally
and globally. Zoryan's mission of Armenian historical research and
community outreach make this donation a natural choice."
K.M. (Greg) Sarkissian, President of the Zoryan Institute, remarked,
"We are moved that such young people are confident about their
identity, and that because of their love for humanity they feel
a natural connection with the Institute. It is overwhelming for
us at Zoryan to see that four generations away from the Genocide,
our youth, born and raised in America, the famous 'melting pot,'
not only appreciate the work of this institute but also affirm the
universality of its mission through their magnificent support."
The Zoryan Institute is an international center devoted to the
research and documentation of contemporary issues related to the
history, politics, society, and culture of Armenia and Armenians
around the world.
255 Duncan Mill Rd., Suite 310
Toronto, ON, Canada M3B 3H9
Tel: 416-250-9807 Fax: 416-512-1736 E-mail: [email protected]
www.zoryaninstitute.org
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: George Shirinian
DATE: September 16, 2004
Tel: 416-250-9807
Newly-wed Couples Donate Thousands to Zoryan Institute on Their Wedding Day
Boston, MA - In early June, at the wedding reception of Nellie
Yeretsian and Shahan Yacoubian in Chicago, the place-card put out
for the guests informed them that:
To honor our grandparents, we have made a financial contribution to
the following institutions:
~The Zoryan Institute, devoted to research, documentation, publication
and education on contemporary issues in the history, politics,
society and culture of Armenians and Armenia.
~Armenian General Benevolent Union's Hye Geen, devoted to empower
Armenian women in their changing roles. Hye Geen sponsors a day care
center for pregnant women in Gyumri, Armenia.
Similarly, in early September, at the wedding reception of Lisa
Siraganian and Brian Hewitt in Maryland, seating cards for each guest
announced the following message:
In your honor, a donation has been given to Church World Service
Emergency Response for aid to Sudan and Afghanistan, and to the Zoryan
Institute, an international center devoted to researching the history
and culture of Armenians.
"Who said our youth is not involved in Armenian affairs," asked Arsinée
Khanjian, a member of the Corporate Board of the Zoryan Institute. "I
understand exactly how these young people feel. They support the Zoryan
Institute because they find answers to the fundamental questions of
history, memory, and identity, burning inside of them. They feel
empowered with the tools of history, facts, references, analysis,
and perspective that the institute provides through its seminars,
conferences and publications." She continued by relating that this
was her own experience some eighteen years ago, when she joined the
ranks of Zoryan supporters, because "Through the institute's work,
I learned how to situate my history in the history of other nations,
other cultures of the world, thus reconciling my identity as a
Diasporan Armenian and as a Canadian."
"There seems to be an interesting new trend developing among
young professionals in North America, of making donations on their
wedding day to organizations that they identify with emotionally and
intellectually, such as Zoryan," noted George Shirinian, Executive
Director of the institute. "This phenomenon is all the more interesting
as it occurs at a time in their lives when the young couples, instead
of focusing on themselves and their immediate families and friends,
are thinking about the welfare of humanity and organizations which
devote their efforts to serving that cause."
Shahan Yacoubian is finishing residency in Orthopedics at Albert
Einstein in the Bronx, and Nellie Yacoubian is a graduate student at
New York University. Describing the motivation for their selfless
gesture, Nellie explained, "Our grandparents were afraid that
the death and suffering of their loved ones would be relegated to
the dustbin of history. They were deeply unsettled by the power of
historical revisionism at the service of political convenience. The
Zoryan Institute is the fulfillment of their hopes for a scholarly,
unshakable rendition of the facts."
Lisa Siraganian, who is currently doing a post-doctoral fellowship
in English Literature at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH, and Brian
Hewitt, who is Senior Software Engineer at Tele-Atlas in Hanover,
had this to say. "A marriage not only connects two people to one
another, but also connects us as a couple to a larger community.
For this reason, we felt, along with Lisa's parents, that it was
important to recognize and support those communities, both locally
and globally. Zoryan's mission of Armenian historical research and
community outreach make this donation a natural choice."
K.M. (Greg) Sarkissian, President of the Zoryan Institute, remarked,
"We are moved that such young people are confident about their
identity, and that because of their love for humanity they feel
a natural connection with the Institute. It is overwhelming for
us at Zoryan to see that four generations away from the Genocide,
our youth, born and raised in America, the famous 'melting pot,'
not only appreciate the work of this institute but also affirm the
universality of its mission through their magnificent support."
The Zoryan Institute is an international center devoted to the
research and documentation of contemporary issues related to the
history, politics, society, and culture of Armenia and Armenians
around the world.