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PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Chris Zakian
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.armenianchurch.net
March 11, 2010
___________________
ANOUSH MATHEVOSIAN IS HONORED FOR HER VISIONARY PHILANTHROPY IN
ARMENIA, THROUGH THE FUND FOR ARMENIAN RELIEF
A visionary benefactor who has helped countless people in Armenia was
honored by Holy Etchmiadzin, the Republic of Armenia, and the Eastern
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, during a special award
presentation on Monday, March 8, 2010.
Ms. Anoush Mathevosian was visited in her New York home by Archbishop Khajag
Barsamian, the Diocesan Primate; Ambassador Garen Nazarian, Armenia's United
Nations ambassador; and Garnik Nanagoulian, executive director of the Fund
for Armenian Relief, accompanied by FAR's projects director Arto Vorperian.
The visitors were honoring Ms. Mathevosian for her unmatched generosity to
the Fund for Armenian Relief-and through FAR, to the Republic of
Armenia-which in the course of two decades has significantly advanced life
in a host of spheres throughout Armenia.
Ms. Mathevosian's investments in the future of Armenia have been many and
varied. Through FAR, she has built new schools and summer camps, renovated
university labs and auditoriums, and funded educational scholarships for
deserving students.
In addition to her FAR-related efforts, she established Armenia's National
Mammography Center. Closer to home, it was Ms. Mathevosian who first
envisioned an Armenian Genocide Museum in Washington, D.C., and who became a
core benefactor of its establishment.
Her greatest passion, however, involves access to education. To that end
she established an endowment with FAR to provide scholarships to talented
but underprivileged youth in Armenia, to allow them to obtain university
degrees in their chosen fields. More than 170 young men and women-who would
otherwise have been unable to afford higher education-have pursued their
educational dreams through FAR's Anoush Mathevosian Scholarship Program.
"You are a powerful example of how to invest in Armenia's future, in the
most effective and wisest way," said Ambassador Nazarian, as he presented
Ms. Mathevosian with the "Gold Medal" of Armenia's Ministry of Science and
Education.
Archbishop Barsamian presented Ms. Mathevosian with the "St. Gregory the
Illuminator Medal"-the highest award of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin,
bestowed by His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of
All Armenians.
In an accompanying pontifical encyclical, Catholicos Karekin praised Anoush
Mathevosian for "keeping love of Armenia and the Armenian Church strong in
your heart, and empowering our homeland with your patriotic service."
The Catholicos made special note of the "endowment you established with FAR,
to serve our nation's youth in need, and allow them to pursue university
educations."
In his own remarks on the occasion, Archbishop Barsamian said to Ms.
Mathevosian that "the leadership of the Armenian Church and nation greatly
appreciate all of your efforts on behalf of our homeland, and honor the
creative vision you've brought to your benefactions through the Fund for
Armenian Relief."
The Primate also presented the honoree with document expressing the
congratulations and gratitude of all of the FAR Mathevosian Scholarship
beneficiaries-who are now working as journalists, doctors, IT experts,
engineers, teachers, and diplomats in Armenia.
"These names represent the new generation of Armenia, destined to completely
rebuild their homeland," said the Primate. "And I'm proud to say that every
one of them has become a FAR volunteer, who reaches out to help others-as
they were helped by a visionary woman, living thousands of miles from
Armenia."
As the presentation proceeded, Ms. Mathevosian could not conceal how deeply
she was affected by the tribute. "This is one of the happiest days of my
life, she said.
"I am thrilled to see how these talented youths have become good citizens of
our independent homeland," she continued. "It is they who will build the
new Armenia-the Armenia of our dreams. I am thankful to FAR for doing an
outstanding job in reaching out to our fellow Armenians in the homeland who
need our help."
* The Courage of Her Convictions
"It's a pleasure and an inspiration knowing such a person as Anoush
Mathevosian," said Archbishop Barsamian in an interview after the March 8
ceremony. "She comes from a priestly family-I fondly recall her father, Der
Kaloust, and her mother. They were a wonderful family: pious, patriotic,
devoted to learning. Anoush and her sisters have been excellent role models
of the finest Armenian Christian ideals."
Born New Julfa, in Iran, Anoush Mathevosian proved such a talented student
in her Tehran high school that she became one of a very few granted an
opportunity to study in the United States. She graduated with honors the
New York Medical School and became a registered nurse. Later, she continued
her studies at Columbia University Teachers College, graduated in Public
Health Administration, and spent 16 years as an administrator in the City
Hospital of Elmhurst.
Though she had lost her brothers at an early age, Anoush had a special bond
with her sister Siranoush, who also came to the United States and worked at
the United Nations. Both sisters were strongly attached to the Armenian
Church.
In the 1960s, the Mathevosian sisters began investing in real estate, and
their great success in that area has been directed to support various
humanitarian projects, including the ones through FAR in Armenia.
Touchingly, one of those projects-Camp Siranoush, a summer haven for needy
children in Armenia-was created and named by Anoush as a memorial to her
departed sister.
"When the earthquake shook Armenia in 1988, Anoush was one of the first to
come to the Diocese, with concern to help the afflicted," recalled
Archbishop Barsamian. "And after Armenia declared its independence, it
became her vision to encourage the young generation of the country-to help
them develop their gifts for learning and leadership, to help develop our
homeland politically, economically, medically, and spiritually."
"This is a woman who has taken a hands-on approach to philanthropy, every
step of the way," said FAR executive director Nanagoulian. "Anoush has
thought long and hard about exactly what Armenia needs, and how she wants to
help."
"This is not a person who comes and asks, 'What can I do?'" Mr. Nanagoulian
continued. "Anoush Mathevosian comes and says, 'This is what I intend to
do-and I am going to fund it.' She takes the initiative. And she really
shows the courage of her convictions by envisioning a project, and then
working through FAR to make it a reality."
He added: "The results have been extraordinary for Armenia-as the Holy See
of Etchmiadzin and the Armenian government acknowledged through these
awards."
On her part, Anoush Mathevosian affirmed her high opinion of the Fund for
Armenian Relief during the March 8 ceremony. "These projects are very
precious to me," she said, "and I am very happy to have entrusted them to
FAR. With FAR, I'm confident they'll be handled with care, concern,
respect.and love."
Since its founding in response to the 1988 earthquake, FAR has served
hundreds of thousands of people through more than 220 relief and development
programs in Armenia and Karabagh. It has channeled more than $285 million
in humanitarian assistance by implementing a wide range of projects
including emergency relief, construction, education, medical aid, and
economic development.
--3/10/10
* * *
PHOTO CAPTIONS
FAR_Mathevosian1.jpg
Pictured (l-r): Armenia's UN Ambassador Garen Nazarian, honoree Anoush
Mathevosian, and Diocesan Primate Archbishop Khajag Barsamian.
FAR_Mathevosian2.jpg
Anoush Mathevosian (center) was honored for her unmatched philanthropy to
the Republic of Armenia through the Fund for Armenian Relief, in a special
ceremony with Abp. Khajag Barsamian, Amb. Garen Nazarian, FAR Executive
Director Garnik Nanagoulian, and FAR projects director Arto Vorperian.
# # #
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Chris Zakian
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.armenianchurch.net
March 11, 2010
___________________
ANOUSH MATHEVOSIAN IS HONORED FOR HER VISIONARY PHILANTHROPY IN
ARMENIA, THROUGH THE FUND FOR ARMENIAN RELIEF
A visionary benefactor who has helped countless people in Armenia was
honored by Holy Etchmiadzin, the Republic of Armenia, and the Eastern
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, during a special award
presentation on Monday, March 8, 2010.
Ms. Anoush Mathevosian was visited in her New York home by Archbishop Khajag
Barsamian, the Diocesan Primate; Ambassador Garen Nazarian, Armenia's United
Nations ambassador; and Garnik Nanagoulian, executive director of the Fund
for Armenian Relief, accompanied by FAR's projects director Arto Vorperian.
The visitors were honoring Ms. Mathevosian for her unmatched generosity to
the Fund for Armenian Relief-and through FAR, to the Republic of
Armenia-which in the course of two decades has significantly advanced life
in a host of spheres throughout Armenia.
Ms. Mathevosian's investments in the future of Armenia have been many and
varied. Through FAR, she has built new schools and summer camps, renovated
university labs and auditoriums, and funded educational scholarships for
deserving students.
In addition to her FAR-related efforts, she established Armenia's National
Mammography Center. Closer to home, it was Ms. Mathevosian who first
envisioned an Armenian Genocide Museum in Washington, D.C., and who became a
core benefactor of its establishment.
Her greatest passion, however, involves access to education. To that end
she established an endowment with FAR to provide scholarships to talented
but underprivileged youth in Armenia, to allow them to obtain university
degrees in their chosen fields. More than 170 young men and women-who would
otherwise have been unable to afford higher education-have pursued their
educational dreams through FAR's Anoush Mathevosian Scholarship Program.
"You are a powerful example of how to invest in Armenia's future, in the
most effective and wisest way," said Ambassador Nazarian, as he presented
Ms. Mathevosian with the "Gold Medal" of Armenia's Ministry of Science and
Education.
Archbishop Barsamian presented Ms. Mathevosian with the "St. Gregory the
Illuminator Medal"-the highest award of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin,
bestowed by His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of
All Armenians.
In an accompanying pontifical encyclical, Catholicos Karekin praised Anoush
Mathevosian for "keeping love of Armenia and the Armenian Church strong in
your heart, and empowering our homeland with your patriotic service."
The Catholicos made special note of the "endowment you established with FAR,
to serve our nation's youth in need, and allow them to pursue university
educations."
In his own remarks on the occasion, Archbishop Barsamian said to Ms.
Mathevosian that "the leadership of the Armenian Church and nation greatly
appreciate all of your efforts on behalf of our homeland, and honor the
creative vision you've brought to your benefactions through the Fund for
Armenian Relief."
The Primate also presented the honoree with document expressing the
congratulations and gratitude of all of the FAR Mathevosian Scholarship
beneficiaries-who are now working as journalists, doctors, IT experts,
engineers, teachers, and diplomats in Armenia.
"These names represent the new generation of Armenia, destined to completely
rebuild their homeland," said the Primate. "And I'm proud to say that every
one of them has become a FAR volunteer, who reaches out to help others-as
they were helped by a visionary woman, living thousands of miles from
Armenia."
As the presentation proceeded, Ms. Mathevosian could not conceal how deeply
she was affected by the tribute. "This is one of the happiest days of my
life, she said.
"I am thrilled to see how these talented youths have become good citizens of
our independent homeland," she continued. "It is they who will build the
new Armenia-the Armenia of our dreams. I am thankful to FAR for doing an
outstanding job in reaching out to our fellow Armenians in the homeland who
need our help."
* The Courage of Her Convictions
"It's a pleasure and an inspiration knowing such a person as Anoush
Mathevosian," said Archbishop Barsamian in an interview after the March 8
ceremony. "She comes from a priestly family-I fondly recall her father, Der
Kaloust, and her mother. They were a wonderful family: pious, patriotic,
devoted to learning. Anoush and her sisters have been excellent role models
of the finest Armenian Christian ideals."
Born New Julfa, in Iran, Anoush Mathevosian proved such a talented student
in her Tehran high school that she became one of a very few granted an
opportunity to study in the United States. She graduated with honors the
New York Medical School and became a registered nurse. Later, she continued
her studies at Columbia University Teachers College, graduated in Public
Health Administration, and spent 16 years as an administrator in the City
Hospital of Elmhurst.
Though she had lost her brothers at an early age, Anoush had a special bond
with her sister Siranoush, who also came to the United States and worked at
the United Nations. Both sisters were strongly attached to the Armenian
Church.
In the 1960s, the Mathevosian sisters began investing in real estate, and
their great success in that area has been directed to support various
humanitarian projects, including the ones through FAR in Armenia.
Touchingly, one of those projects-Camp Siranoush, a summer haven for needy
children in Armenia-was created and named by Anoush as a memorial to her
departed sister.
"When the earthquake shook Armenia in 1988, Anoush was one of the first to
come to the Diocese, with concern to help the afflicted," recalled
Archbishop Barsamian. "And after Armenia declared its independence, it
became her vision to encourage the young generation of the country-to help
them develop their gifts for learning and leadership, to help develop our
homeland politically, economically, medically, and spiritually."
"This is a woman who has taken a hands-on approach to philanthropy, every
step of the way," said FAR executive director Nanagoulian. "Anoush has
thought long and hard about exactly what Armenia needs, and how she wants to
help."
"This is not a person who comes and asks, 'What can I do?'" Mr. Nanagoulian
continued. "Anoush Mathevosian comes and says, 'This is what I intend to
do-and I am going to fund it.' She takes the initiative. And she really
shows the courage of her convictions by envisioning a project, and then
working through FAR to make it a reality."
He added: "The results have been extraordinary for Armenia-as the Holy See
of Etchmiadzin and the Armenian government acknowledged through these
awards."
On her part, Anoush Mathevosian affirmed her high opinion of the Fund for
Armenian Relief during the March 8 ceremony. "These projects are very
precious to me," she said, "and I am very happy to have entrusted them to
FAR. With FAR, I'm confident they'll be handled with care, concern,
respect.and love."
Since its founding in response to the 1988 earthquake, FAR has served
hundreds of thousands of people through more than 220 relief and development
programs in Armenia and Karabagh. It has channeled more than $285 million
in humanitarian assistance by implementing a wide range of projects
including emergency relief, construction, education, medical aid, and
economic development.
--3/10/10
* * *
PHOTO CAPTIONS
FAR_Mathevosian1.jpg
Pictured (l-r): Armenia's UN Ambassador Garen Nazarian, honoree Anoush
Mathevosian, and Diocesan Primate Archbishop Khajag Barsamian.
FAR_Mathevosian2.jpg
Anoush Mathevosian (center) was honored for her unmatched philanthropy to
the Republic of Armenia through the Fund for Armenian Relief, in a special
ceremony with Abp. Khajag Barsamian, Amb. Garen Nazarian, FAR Executive
Director Garnik Nanagoulian, and FAR projects director Arto Vorperian.
# # #