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GRASSROOTS FUNDRAISING: ONE CUP OF COFFEE AT A TIME
Allen Yekikan
http://www.asbarez.com/2009/05/27/grassro ots-fundraising-one-cup-of-coffee-at-a-time/
May 27th, 2009
Hrag Satjian spent his Memorial Day weekend with members of his AYF
chapter, selling Armenian coffee to raise money for the ANCA Endowment
Fund. The one-day effort collected nearly a thousand dollars for the
upcoming Endowment Fund Telethon and is a testament to the power and
potential of grassroots activism.
A member of the Crescenta Valley 'Zartonk' chapter of the Armenian
Youth Federation, Satjian, 23, worked alongside his fellow chapter
members for some ten hours on Sunday May 24, making and selling cup
after cup of Armenian coffee at the Little Armenia Independence Day
Festival in anticipation of the telethon on May 31.
"All it really takes is a team of dedicated individuals to raise
that amount of money in such a short amount of time," Satjian
explained. "It's hard not to be motivated when you know you have a real
opportunity to help strengthen an organization that has consistently
proven itself vital to our community."
For Satjian, the telethon will not only help the Endowment Fund's
mission to develop the Armenian-American community's institutions
and activities, but also provide the necessary funding to protect
the interests of Armenian-Americans into the coming years.
"I think this telethon will help our community by ensuring that
we will have what it takes to protect our interests and Armenia's
interests in this challenging time our nation faces," he said.
Ani Nalbandian, another member of the AYF 'Zartonk' chapter who
sold coffee on Sunday, said she felt as though her efforts at the
festival were going to make a difference for the Endowment Fund and
its activities. "Being a contributor to the telethon through work and
money makes me feel like I have a real role in it and my community,"
she stressed. "It's an extremely good feeling and I hope everyone
else can find the time to help out."
This feeling-that each of them would have a role in something greater
than themselves-is what motivated the chapter to pitch in for the
fundraising effort, Nalbandian explained. Members worked different
shifts throughout the day, some making the coffee and manning the
booth, while others roamed the festival with coffee pots and cups
in hand.
"Because the profits from our booth were going towards a good cause,
it created a concerted effort throughout the AYF "Zartonk" chapter
to donate supplies and help with our efforts," Nalbandian said. "Our
customers also appreciated the vallue of what we were doing. Many
people happily bought cup after cup of coffee because they knew the
proceeds were going to the ANCA Endowment Fund.
It would be impossible to have this level of fundraising while working
on an individual level, according to Aris Hovasapian, the chapter's
chairperson. "The network of members that we can tap into is extremely
valuable because it's a group of enthusiastic individuals that are
ready and willing to put in a great deal of work for a common purpose."
"Its only natural that the AYF takes up projects such as this,"
explained Zartonk alumnus, Vicken Sosikian, who donated the coffee
to be sold at the event. "The Armenian Cause, is the people's cause,
so it makes sense that they took the message of the telethon straight
to the festival, encouraging each person there to donate just two
dollars to something they believe in."
"Through this coffee booth, members collectively contributed more
than 30 collective hours of their day to generate financial capital
to contribute to the telethon. One should never underestimate the
potential of the youth to grasp the urgent need to take ownership of
our cause," he added.
This same group of individuals will be working to raise more money
for the telethon this Saturday, washing cars at the 76 gas station
on 3402 Foothill Blvd in La Crescenta from 10am to 3pm.
Allen Yekikan
http://www.asbarez.com/2009/05/27/grassro ots-fundraising-one-cup-of-coffee-at-a-time/
May 27th, 2009
Hrag Satjian spent his Memorial Day weekend with members of his AYF
chapter, selling Armenian coffee to raise money for the ANCA Endowment
Fund. The one-day effort collected nearly a thousand dollars for the
upcoming Endowment Fund Telethon and is a testament to the power and
potential of grassroots activism.
A member of the Crescenta Valley 'Zartonk' chapter of the Armenian
Youth Federation, Satjian, 23, worked alongside his fellow chapter
members for some ten hours on Sunday May 24, making and selling cup
after cup of Armenian coffee at the Little Armenia Independence Day
Festival in anticipation of the telethon on May 31.
"All it really takes is a team of dedicated individuals to raise
that amount of money in such a short amount of time," Satjian
explained. "It's hard not to be motivated when you know you have a real
opportunity to help strengthen an organization that has consistently
proven itself vital to our community."
For Satjian, the telethon will not only help the Endowment Fund's
mission to develop the Armenian-American community's institutions
and activities, but also provide the necessary funding to protect
the interests of Armenian-Americans into the coming years.
"I think this telethon will help our community by ensuring that
we will have what it takes to protect our interests and Armenia's
interests in this challenging time our nation faces," he said.
Ani Nalbandian, another member of the AYF 'Zartonk' chapter who
sold coffee on Sunday, said she felt as though her efforts at the
festival were going to make a difference for the Endowment Fund and
its activities. "Being a contributor to the telethon through work and
money makes me feel like I have a real role in it and my community,"
she stressed. "It's an extremely good feeling and I hope everyone
else can find the time to help out."
This feeling-that each of them would have a role in something greater
than themselves-is what motivated the chapter to pitch in for the
fundraising effort, Nalbandian explained. Members worked different
shifts throughout the day, some making the coffee and manning the
booth, while others roamed the festival with coffee pots and cups
in hand.
"Because the profits from our booth were going towards a good cause,
it created a concerted effort throughout the AYF "Zartonk" chapter
to donate supplies and help with our efforts," Nalbandian said. "Our
customers also appreciated the vallue of what we were doing. Many
people happily bought cup after cup of coffee because they knew the
proceeds were going to the ANCA Endowment Fund.
It would be impossible to have this level of fundraising while working
on an individual level, according to Aris Hovasapian, the chapter's
chairperson. "The network of members that we can tap into is extremely
valuable because it's a group of enthusiastic individuals that are
ready and willing to put in a great deal of work for a common purpose."
"Its only natural that the AYF takes up projects such as this,"
explained Zartonk alumnus, Vicken Sosikian, who donated the coffee
to be sold at the event. "The Armenian Cause, is the people's cause,
so it makes sense that they took the message of the telethon straight
to the festival, encouraging each person there to donate just two
dollars to something they believe in."
"Through this coffee booth, members collectively contributed more
than 30 collective hours of their day to generate financial capital
to contribute to the telethon. One should never underestimate the
potential of the youth to grasp the urgent need to take ownership of
our cause," he added.
This same group of individuals will be working to raise more money
for the telethon this Saturday, washing cars at the 76 gas station
on 3402 Foothill Blvd in La Crescenta from 10am to 3pm.