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HOMENETMEN 'ARARAT' HOSTS ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION WITH CATHOLICOS ARAM I
asbarez
Friday, October 28th, 2011
Catholicos blesses bread and salt at the event
GLENDALE-Nearly 650 Homenetmen Glendale "Ararat" Chapter members,
longtime supporters and several distinguished civic and community
leaders, friends and guests joined the Homenetmen "Ararat" Executive
Board, representatives of various community organizations, gathered
on the pristine evening of Saturday, October 22nd, 2011 at the
famous Glendale Civic Center, about which, Glendale Mayor Laura
Friedman graciously commented that "though I have been to the
Glendale Civic Center for many events over the years, I have never
seen it as beautiful and as elegant as this before." The venue was
indeed a sight to behold, leaving all who entered it astounded and
in awe, as the entire hall, had been transformed, as never before,
with breathtaking ceiling fixtures and chandeliers, stunning table
decorations and floral arrangements and covered from wall to wall
with spectacular professional lighting illumination effects.
Rep. Schiff presents proclamation to Ararat
Guests had come from far and wide, to attend this very special "Ararat
33 - A Celebration of Our Journey" milestone Gala Banquet and none were
disappointed. Guests began to arrive at 7:00pm at the Glendale Civic
Auditorium and were greeted by Mrs. Jasik Jarahian, the Chairwoman
of the Ararat 33 Gala Banquet Organizing Committee, along with Ararat
Executives, Major Event Patrons, Candle bearer sponsors, benefactors,
sponsors, donors, table sponsors and honored guests and were welcomed
into the venue's warm and joyous atmosphere, for a pre-dinner cocktail
hour reception where they had the opportunity to catch up with their
friends, mingle with other guests and converse with event organizers
and partake of the lavish appetizers and Hors d'oeuvres reception.
After guests had an opportunity to socialize with one another and
enjoy the fine cuisine provided, they were invited to assemble
in the venue's main hall to begin the formal dinner and program
portion of the event. Once guests were seated, the evening's Master
of Ceremonies, Glendale City Clerk, Ardashes Kassakhian officially
opened the program with his opening remarks and offered a poignant
tribute in honor the late Larry Zarian, who much to the community's
grief, passed days before the event. Larry was the former Mayor of
the City of Glendale and a longtime friend and ardent supporter of
the Homenetmen "Ararat" Glendale Chapter. Kassakhian, then announced
the arrival of the esteemed and most honorable guest of the evening,
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia and
spiritual leader of Armenian Diaspora communities in the Middle East,
Europe and North America, who, as part of His official schedule,
graciously agreed to pay a special visit, to the Ararat 33 Gala
Banquet. His Holiness was accompanied by His Eminence Archbishop
Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian
Apostolic Church of America, and His Pontifical Entourage, which
consisted of Religious and Executive Councils, various clergy members,
community leaders and Pontifical Visit Committee members. After a
grand, scouts-lead entrance, Steve Artinian, the Co-Chair of the
Pontiff's Public Relations and Organizing Committee, introduced
His Holiness, stressing during his introduction that the Catholicos
"is the most inspirational spiritual leader of our time."
The Catholicos observes marching on scouts
Kasshakhian, then invited Maria Agopian who beautifully performed both
the American and Armenian National Anthems. His Holiness was then
invited by Kassakhian to give the invocation. Helik Issagholian,
the Chairwoman of The Homentemen Glendale "Ararat" Chapter, was
then invited to the podium and shared her remarks on behalf of the
Ararat Board of Directors, during which, she welcomed the attendees
and expressed her appreciation to all who organized and attended
this momentous event. The Mayor of Glendale, Mrs. Laura Friedman
was then invited to address the gathering, who during her comments
praised the Homenetmen "Ararat" Glendale Chapter for all of its
monumental accomplishments over the years and stated how much the
City of Glendale valued "its partnership" with it. Mayor Friedman
was followed by Darin Drabing of Forest Lawn Museum and Mortuaries,
which was the Major Sponsor for the Gala Banquet, to whom Armond
Gorgorian, the Executive Director and Chairwoman Helik Issagholian,
presented a certificate of recognition, for their steadfast support
for the Homenetmen Ararat Chapter.
Staunch supporter and longtime friend of the Armenian-American
community, Congressmember Adam Schiff was then invited to the stage to
share his thoughts and remarks. The Congressman's kind and generous
words were followed by the announcement that the time for dinner had
arrived, during which, a special multimedia video showcasing Ararat's
years of service and accomplishments was presented. After dinner
Chairwoman Issagholian introduced and invited to the stage Western
Prelae Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian who also shared this thoughts
and commended the Ararat Chapter for its contributions and expressed
his appreciation for its tireless efforts. In turn, the Prelate,
introduced and invited to the stage the evening's marquee guest,
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia who
gave a riveting and impassioned message highlighting the pivotal role
Ararat plays in shaping the public's youth and families and ultimately
the entire community and commended the Ararat Chapter and offered it
His special Pontifical Blessings. After His Holiness' moving remarks,
another special multimedia video pictorial montage showcasing various
images captured from some of His Holiness major Pontifical Visits, were
presented after which the Pontifical Delegation departed. The time had
then come for the entertainment portion of the evening to begin. But
not before Kasskhian introduced and announced the Major Sponsors and
Main Candle Barer Sponsors of the evening and made his closing remarks
and marking the beginning of the entertainment portion of the evening.
"When we first set out to host this Gala Banquet, we wanted to spare
nothing and committed to taking great pains to host a grand and fitting
banquet to showcase this "Ararat 33" milestone to the community
and offer it the grandest of Ararat's Gala Banquets. We wanted to
offer our friends and supporters an unprecedented experience and
tonight's event unequivocally proves that we achieved our objectives
and accomplished just that!" stated Helik Issagholian, the Chairwoman
of The Homentemen Glendale "Ararat" Chapter.
The evening concluded with the entertaining musical performances of
the famed Ashod and His Band and Alen, a local renowned Violinist
and with guests eating, drinking, dancing and enjoying one another's
company, surrounded by beauty of the venue and its offerings.
"everything is so beautiful and everyone is pleased and happy,"
stated Anno Mansourian "It is obvious a lot of work went into this
event and the success of it all is evidenced in peoples smiles and
positive comments."
"All who attended, unanimously offered that they were very pleased with
our event and that they were overjoyed to have been in attendance. Our
guests unanimously affirmed their delight in the event and copiously
expressed their deep appreciations to us for hosting such an
unforgettable, pleasurable, interesting, impassioned and inspiring
program, all of which left our guests informed, impressed, ecstatic and
energized and shared with us that they were already looking forward
to attending the next Ararat Gala Banquet," stated Paruir Akopian,
the Chairman of Friends of Ararat Committee. "The Friends of Ararat
Committee has been instrumental in raising money to fund Ararat's
activities."
Homenetmen is a 501 (C) 3 non-profit volunteer driven, service based
organization that serves the Armenian-American community. Affiliated
to the Boys Scouts of America, the organization's mission is to
prepare exemplary and law abiding citizens by providing physical and
health education, endowing the mind and soul with the finest spirit
of sportsmanship, and developing and understanding of responsibility
and honor as they strive for individual and collective excellence.
Homenetmen Glendale "Ararat" Chapter, was founded on December 15,
1978 and is currently the largest of the Homenetmen's 19 Chapters in
Western United States Region and the most successful chapter within
the Homenetmen global network, whose active volunteer base is currently
over 2,400 members strong. Since its founding the Homenetmen Glendale
"Ararat" chapter has maintained a long history of selfless service and
devotion to fostering the development of strong and healthy families,
communities and young people.
From: Baghdasarian
asbarez
Friday, October 28th, 2011
Catholicos blesses bread and salt at the event
GLENDALE-Nearly 650 Homenetmen Glendale "Ararat" Chapter members,
longtime supporters and several distinguished civic and community
leaders, friends and guests joined the Homenetmen "Ararat" Executive
Board, representatives of various community organizations, gathered
on the pristine evening of Saturday, October 22nd, 2011 at the
famous Glendale Civic Center, about which, Glendale Mayor Laura
Friedman graciously commented that "though I have been to the
Glendale Civic Center for many events over the years, I have never
seen it as beautiful and as elegant as this before." The venue was
indeed a sight to behold, leaving all who entered it astounded and
in awe, as the entire hall, had been transformed, as never before,
with breathtaking ceiling fixtures and chandeliers, stunning table
decorations and floral arrangements and covered from wall to wall
with spectacular professional lighting illumination effects.
Rep. Schiff presents proclamation to Ararat
Guests had come from far and wide, to attend this very special "Ararat
33 - A Celebration of Our Journey" milestone Gala Banquet and none were
disappointed. Guests began to arrive at 7:00pm at the Glendale Civic
Auditorium and were greeted by Mrs. Jasik Jarahian, the Chairwoman
of the Ararat 33 Gala Banquet Organizing Committee, along with Ararat
Executives, Major Event Patrons, Candle bearer sponsors, benefactors,
sponsors, donors, table sponsors and honored guests and were welcomed
into the venue's warm and joyous atmosphere, for a pre-dinner cocktail
hour reception where they had the opportunity to catch up with their
friends, mingle with other guests and converse with event organizers
and partake of the lavish appetizers and Hors d'oeuvres reception.
After guests had an opportunity to socialize with one another and
enjoy the fine cuisine provided, they were invited to assemble
in the venue's main hall to begin the formal dinner and program
portion of the event. Once guests were seated, the evening's Master
of Ceremonies, Glendale City Clerk, Ardashes Kassakhian officially
opened the program with his opening remarks and offered a poignant
tribute in honor the late Larry Zarian, who much to the community's
grief, passed days before the event. Larry was the former Mayor of
the City of Glendale and a longtime friend and ardent supporter of
the Homenetmen "Ararat" Glendale Chapter. Kassakhian, then announced
the arrival of the esteemed and most honorable guest of the evening,
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia and
spiritual leader of Armenian Diaspora communities in the Middle East,
Europe and North America, who, as part of His official schedule,
graciously agreed to pay a special visit, to the Ararat 33 Gala
Banquet. His Holiness was accompanied by His Eminence Archbishop
Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian
Apostolic Church of America, and His Pontifical Entourage, which
consisted of Religious and Executive Councils, various clergy members,
community leaders and Pontifical Visit Committee members. After a
grand, scouts-lead entrance, Steve Artinian, the Co-Chair of the
Pontiff's Public Relations and Organizing Committee, introduced
His Holiness, stressing during his introduction that the Catholicos
"is the most inspirational spiritual leader of our time."
The Catholicos observes marching on scouts
Kasshakhian, then invited Maria Agopian who beautifully performed both
the American and Armenian National Anthems. His Holiness was then
invited by Kassakhian to give the invocation. Helik Issagholian,
the Chairwoman of The Homentemen Glendale "Ararat" Chapter, was
then invited to the podium and shared her remarks on behalf of the
Ararat Board of Directors, during which, she welcomed the attendees
and expressed her appreciation to all who organized and attended
this momentous event. The Mayor of Glendale, Mrs. Laura Friedman
was then invited to address the gathering, who during her comments
praised the Homenetmen "Ararat" Glendale Chapter for all of its
monumental accomplishments over the years and stated how much the
City of Glendale valued "its partnership" with it. Mayor Friedman
was followed by Darin Drabing of Forest Lawn Museum and Mortuaries,
which was the Major Sponsor for the Gala Banquet, to whom Armond
Gorgorian, the Executive Director and Chairwoman Helik Issagholian,
presented a certificate of recognition, for their steadfast support
for the Homenetmen Ararat Chapter.
Staunch supporter and longtime friend of the Armenian-American
community, Congressmember Adam Schiff was then invited to the stage to
share his thoughts and remarks. The Congressman's kind and generous
words were followed by the announcement that the time for dinner had
arrived, during which, a special multimedia video showcasing Ararat's
years of service and accomplishments was presented. After dinner
Chairwoman Issagholian introduced and invited to the stage Western
Prelae Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian who also shared this thoughts
and commended the Ararat Chapter for its contributions and expressed
his appreciation for its tireless efforts. In turn, the Prelate,
introduced and invited to the stage the evening's marquee guest,
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia who
gave a riveting and impassioned message highlighting the pivotal role
Ararat plays in shaping the public's youth and families and ultimately
the entire community and commended the Ararat Chapter and offered it
His special Pontifical Blessings. After His Holiness' moving remarks,
another special multimedia video pictorial montage showcasing various
images captured from some of His Holiness major Pontifical Visits, were
presented after which the Pontifical Delegation departed. The time had
then come for the entertainment portion of the evening to begin. But
not before Kasskhian introduced and announced the Major Sponsors and
Main Candle Barer Sponsors of the evening and made his closing remarks
and marking the beginning of the entertainment portion of the evening.
"When we first set out to host this Gala Banquet, we wanted to spare
nothing and committed to taking great pains to host a grand and fitting
banquet to showcase this "Ararat 33" milestone to the community
and offer it the grandest of Ararat's Gala Banquets. We wanted to
offer our friends and supporters an unprecedented experience and
tonight's event unequivocally proves that we achieved our objectives
and accomplished just that!" stated Helik Issagholian, the Chairwoman
of The Homentemen Glendale "Ararat" Chapter.
The evening concluded with the entertaining musical performances of
the famed Ashod and His Band and Alen, a local renowned Violinist
and with guests eating, drinking, dancing and enjoying one another's
company, surrounded by beauty of the venue and its offerings.
"everything is so beautiful and everyone is pleased and happy,"
stated Anno Mansourian "It is obvious a lot of work went into this
event and the success of it all is evidenced in peoples smiles and
positive comments."
"All who attended, unanimously offered that they were very pleased with
our event and that they were overjoyed to have been in attendance. Our
guests unanimously affirmed their delight in the event and copiously
expressed their deep appreciations to us for hosting such an
unforgettable, pleasurable, interesting, impassioned and inspiring
program, all of which left our guests informed, impressed, ecstatic and
energized and shared with us that they were already looking forward
to attending the next Ararat Gala Banquet," stated Paruir Akopian,
the Chairman of Friends of Ararat Committee. "The Friends of Ararat
Committee has been instrumental in raising money to fund Ararat's
activities."
Homenetmen is a 501 (C) 3 non-profit volunteer driven, service based
organization that serves the Armenian-American community. Affiliated
to the Boys Scouts of America, the organization's mission is to
prepare exemplary and law abiding citizens by providing physical and
health education, endowing the mind and soul with the finest spirit
of sportsmanship, and developing and understanding of responsibility
and honor as they strive for individual and collective excellence.
Homenetmen Glendale "Ararat" Chapter, was founded on December 15,
1978 and is currently the largest of the Homenetmen's 19 Chapters in
Western United States Region and the most successful chapter within
the Homenetmen global network, whose active volunteer base is currently
over 2,400 members strong. Since its founding the Homenetmen Glendale
"Ararat" chapter has maintained a long history of selfless service and
devotion to fostering the development of strong and healthy families,
communities and young people.
From: Baghdasarian