In the News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Linda Yepoyan
Phone: 610-642-6633
info@birthrightarmenia.org
November 19, 2007

GREENWICH COMMUNITY LEADERS COMMIT TO THEIR LOCAL YOUTH

Harry and Edna Keleshian, together with Dan and Sara Mushegian, want to see a leadership-oriented generation of young diasporans with strong ties to the Homeland within their local community. Not wanting to leave their desire to chance, they sought out Birthright Armenia, so the two could work together to sponsor their parish youth on trips to Armenia for public service and to reawaken their love of all things Armenian.

Thanks to a generous pledge from these two Greenwich, CT families, an all expense paid trip to the Homeland through Birthright Armenia awaits an applicant from Fairfield or Westchester County. The co-sponsors are anxious to find interested youth, 20-32 years of age, from either St. Gregory the Enlightener Armenian Church in White Plains, or the Armenian Church of the Holy Ascension in Trumball, CT, to get the ball rolling. Included in the offer is a travel fellowship that covers roundtrip airfare to Armenia, in-country orientation, job placement in the field of the volunteer’s choosing, two months of homestay living, Armenian language instruction, weekly seminars and social events with local youth, educational excursions and so much more.

Birthright Armenia, now in its fourth year of operation, envisions a trip to Armenia for volunteerism or for study an integral part of life for every young Armenian – a rite of passage. Such experiences have a striking impact on young diasporans, as it enhances their sense of belonging to the Armenian people, and creates a strong bond of understanding and appreciation that is critical in the years ahead to widen the bridge between Armenia and the Diaspora.

“We commend these families of great vision, as they recognize the real pay-off could be 10 years down the line, but the benefits reaped will be many-fold the original investment,” says Birthright Armenia founder Edele Hovnanian. “We get one shot at making a mark upon our youth when they are in their impressionable 20’s, just as they are trying to define who they are. I’ve seen so many of our participants return permanently tattooed with a new and strengthened Armenian identity as a result of their immersion-style experiences in Armenia. It is too great an opportunity to miss, and is not easily replicable,” she adds. Dan and Sara Mushegian know this first-hand, as they have had two children, Aram and Setta, complete rewarding community service experiences in Armenia, which accounted for a few months of their lives but has now become a lifetime commitment for both of them.

The Keleshians and Mushegians hope their philanthropy will serve as a model for other forward-thinking individuals across the U.S., who will adopt the same sponsorship concept within their own local communities or parishes, thereby getting a large, cross-section of youth to Armenia through Birthright Armenia sponsorship to cultivate a new generation of leaders.

If you are interested or know of someone within Fairfield or Westchester County who might be interested in applying for the Keleshian/Mushegian scholarship, please contact the Birthright Armenia office at (610) 642-6633 or info@birthrightarmenia.org.

Birthright Armenia’s mission is to strengthen ties between the homeland and diasporan youth by affording them an opportunity to be a part of Armenia’s daily life and to contribute to Armenia’s development through work, study and volunteer experiences, while developing a renewed sense of Armenian identity. For more information, or to make an online donation, please visit our web site at www.birthrightarmenia.org.

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