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Aghjayan: Investing In ANCA Yields Diverse, Proven Returns

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  • Aghjayan: Investing In ANCA Yields Diverse, Proven Returns

    AGHJAYAN: INVESTING IN ANCA YIELDS DIVERSE, PROVEN RETURNS
    by George Aghjayan

    http://www.armenianweekly.com/2012/05/16/aghjayan-investing-in-anca-yields-diverse-proven-returns/
    May 16, 2012

    On May 20, the ANCA Endowment Fund will host its third telethon in
    the past decade. By now, you have seen it on websites, read about it
    in e-mails and the community press, and seen it on television and
    social media sites. Hopefully you, in turn, are sharing the news
    with your friends and family, confirming your donation commitment,
    and planning to attend one of the many viewing parties nationwide.

    The 2009 ANCA Leo Sarkisian Interns doing us proud.

    Spreading the word about, planning to participate in, and donating to
    this event may seem small and, in the busy lives we all share-balancing
    work, raising children, taking care of parents, excelling in school,
    maintaining our health, and nurturing our social network-something
    that is easily forgotten or not prioritized.

    But, it is also one of the greatest opportunities to invest in the
    success of the community. Contrary to popular perception, it is not
    merely a direct investment in issues, but rather a contribution to
    the diversified foundation of issues, people, and presence.

    We all know the issues. Justice for the Armenian Genocide, promoting
    a stronger U.S.-Armenia relationship, as well as relationships with
    the Armenian nation throughout the region, and building stronger
    civic engagement among Americans of Armenian ethnicity.

    The ANCA's successes in raising awareness about the Armenian Genocide
    are well known. These include its legal research revolving around
    the continued protection of Armenian Genocide-related state laws,
    the change in the climate on Capitol Hill from genocide denial to
    affirmation deferral, and educating the current generation of public
    officials (as well as Armenian Americans) about the ongoing academic
    advances in the fields of genocide reparations and restitution.

    The ANCA remains at the forefront, the American leader in ensuring
    continued growth and expansion of the relationship between the U.S.

    and the Republic of Armenia. From ensuring that public officials at
    all levels are reminded of its disproportionately large contribution
    to American-led and international peace-keeping missions throughout
    the world to making sure humanitarian assistance is justly received
    by Armenian communities throughout the region, the ANCA continues to
    push the envelope.

    However, its greatest success is the return on that investment in
    the communities across this great country. America continues to be a
    land of opportunity where civic engagement and public service is the
    center of power. No matter what the "outside" influence, it is those
    "inside" the Congress, state legislatures, county seats, and city
    halls who shape and cast the final vote.

    For over two decades, the ANCA has run the Leo Sarkisian Internship
    in Washington, D.C., and through this and other internship programs
    has sponsored hundreds of young Armenian Americans to come and
    learn-through active engagement-the nuances of and challenges faced
    by Hai Tahd.

    Nearly 10 years ago, the ANCA started the Capitol Gateway Program.

    This initiative seeks to evolve the ambitious Armenian youth
    presence in Washington, D.C. from educating an ever-transient group
    of students to a vibrant community of young professionals plugged into
    all sectors. Dozens of recent college graduates and new professionals
    have made the nation's capital their new home, and in many cases the
    nation's Capitol their place of work, something that would not have
    been feasible without the support of the ANCA.

    These successes are the tip of an iceberg that is comprised of hundreds
    of thousands of staff and volunteer hours, who, in turn, worked out of
    offices, on campuses, and in community centers across the nation. It
    is the result of efforts as big as organizing conferences that bring
    together experts from around the world and as unsung as staying up
    late nights writing and then putting together informational packages
    for public officials, educators, the media, and our own supporters.

    Yet there is so much more we can do. There is so much more we need
    to do. The bar of success is ever moving. Greater success brings more
    challenges by those who seek to marginalize or tear us down. Greater
    success brings larger expectations, and rightfully so!

    Armenians have a rich, multi-millenia culture about which they should
    be proud. Armenians have contributed extensively to the U.S. though
    their successful realization of the American Dream. But resting on
    these laurels condemns us to history and eliminates our future.

    Join me in supporting the 2012 ANCA Endowment Fund Telethon.

    Contribute, get your family and friends to donate, and let us-all
    together-watch this momentous event.

    Together, with your support of the ANCA, we will continue to be a
    leading force in writing the next chapter of the Armenian experience
    in America.

    George Aghjayan is chairman of the ANCA Eastern Region.


    From: Baghdasarian
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