Kanakeravan, Armenia–The Paros Foundation successfully completed its Kanakeravan Art School Bathroom Project in the village of Kanakeravan, Kotayk province, one of its 100 for 100 Projects for Prosperity, through the generous sponsorship of Adam & Rita Kablanian (CA) and Shahen & Arax Hairapetian (CA). The Paros Foundation underwrote all administrative expenses allowing the sponsor contributions to be spent 100% on the project.

“The Art School provides afterschool classes in the fine arts, dance, and music (both classical and folk),” said Peter Abajian, Executive Director of The Paros Foundation. “Having a dignified bathroom at the school is important for both the students and staff.”

The School, which was built in 1992, provides classes to 123 students from both the village of Kanakeravan and a neighboring village. The residents of Kanakeravan have a deep appreciation for the arts and truly appreciate their facility.

The Paros Foundation remains committed to helping Armenia’s children learn in a dignified environment. Many restrooms throughout Armenia’s schools remain in deplorable conditions and with your help, we can fix this one bathroom at a time. Please make a generous contribution today in your family’s name and lets work together to solve this important need. When in Armenia, Paros will arrange a visit and tour of your project. Donations can be made online via credit card or via check made payable to: The Paros Foundation, 918 Parker Street, A14, Berkeley, CA 94710.

The Paros Foundation expresses its deepest appreciation to the Kablanian and Hairapetian Families for their generous support of this effort.

Consider having your family sponsor a project in memory of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, through the Paros Foundation’s 100 for 100 Projects for Prosperity, by visiting www.parosfoundation.org. The Paros Foundation underwrites all administrative expenses allowing 100% of sponsor contributions to be spent on the project. Donations to The Paros Foundation, a 501(c) 3 private foundation, are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

Aknashen, Armenia–The Paros Foundation successfully completed its Multipurpose Classroom Project at the Aknashen School for Children with Speech Disabilities, one of its 100 for 100 Projects for Prosperity, through the generous sponsorship of Adam & Rita Kablanian (CA), Paul & Esther Kulhanjian (MI) and Paul & Sosy Hachigian (CA).  The Paros Foundation underwrote all administrative expenses allowing the sponsor contributions to be spent 100% on the project.

“For these kids, speech therapy is the only shot they have at avoiding a life of difficulties.” Said Peter Abajian, Executive Director of The Paros Foundation.  “Successfully addressing this issue will enable them to enjoy a normal primary education.”

The School, which is located in the village of Aknashen in the Armavir province of Armenia, provides speech therapy to children ages 3 to 7.  The Aknashen School is the only school specializing in speech therapy in the region, and is housed in a building provided to the School by the Village Municipality.

With this facility now, they can meet today’s demand and fulfill the needs of tomorrow’s children.  The Aknashen School has become a happy place where children can obtain their needed therapy.  In the winter months and during inclement weather, the classroom provides a comfortable play area for the children as well. Local villagers were engaged with this project and donated their time, resources and talents to the successful implementation of this project, and when possible, both local materials and labor was used to help stimulate the local economy.

Many classrooms throughout Armenia’s schools remain in deplorable conditions and with your help, we can fix this one classroom at a time. Children should not have to learn in these conditions. Because of substandard doors and windows, many classrooms become unusable in the winter months because of the cold. Please make a generous contribution today in your family’s name and lets work together to meet this important need.  When in Armenia, Paros will arrange a visit and tour of your project.  Donations can be made online via credit card or via check made payable to: The Paros Foundation, 918 Parker Street, A14, Berkeley, CA  94710.

The Paros Foundation expresses its deepest appreciation to the Kablanian, Kulhanjian and Hachigian Families for their generous support of this effort.

Please consider having your family sponsor a project in memory of the 100th anniversary of the Genocide, through the Paros Foundation’s 100 for 100 Projects for Prosperity, by visiting www.paros-foundation.org.  The Paros Foundation underwrites all administrative expenses allowing all sponsor contributions to be spent 100% on the project.  Donations to The Paros Foundation, a 501(c) 3 private foundation, are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

Gyumri, Armenia–The Paros Foundation successfully completed its Gyumri Winter Operation project, one of its 100 for 100 Projects for Prosperity, through the generous sponsorship of the New York-based Dadourian Foundation.

“As with all Paros 100 for 100 projects, The Paros Foundation underwrote all administrative expenses allowing The Dadourian Foundation’s contribution to be allocated 100% to the project,” reported Peter Abajian, Executive Director of The Paros Foundation. “This unique commitment to our donors provides them with the assurance that their entire contribution goes directly to the project.”

Winter in Gyumri, Armenia’s second largest city, is extreme. For the unfortunate families living in the inadequate housing called “Domiks,” the severe cold leads to desperate living conditions. For these people, heating and cooking fuel is typically scavenged from the trash and consists of various toxic materials including plastic bottles, old shoes and cardboard. Children face the difficult task of attending school without proper winter clothing and warm winter boots.

For three days, a team of staff and volunteers made unannounced visits to targeted families, to distribute firewood for heating and cooking and to witness first hand the harsh living conditions. Families were invited to bring their children to the Shirak Centre NGO (which worked in coordination with the Paros Foundation on this project) and were fitted for warm winter boots and coats. In total, 350 children received winter boots, 160 children received winter coats and 60 families received a large supply of firewood. Although this effort does not address the root cause of these economic problems, it does provide immediate relief and hope for these families.

The Paros Foundation expresses its deepest appreciation to the Dadourian Foundation for their generous support of this effort and to the Shirak Centre for their cooperation.

Please consider having your family sponsor a project in memory of the 100^thanniversary of the Genocide, through the Paros Foundation’s 100 for 100 Projects for Prosperity, by visiting www.paros-foundation.org.

Manana Center started a two-year project of Creating a Network of Young Reporters in Armenia with support of The United Nations Democracy Fund.

During the project media workshops for youngsters on journalism, photojournalism and filmmaking will be organized in different regions of Armenia. Participants, under the supervision of expert tutors, will produce alternative content through multiple platforms, including a series of articles, films, interviews, multimedia outputs documenting real-life stories experienced by local communities, through photo exhibitions, film screenings and magazines, and also through internet.

The project aims to empower young people through the enhancement of media skills which will raise the level of participation in civic life and the formulation of a democratic society.

BERKELEY, CA—Applications are now available for The Paros Foundation’s SERVICE Armenia 2013 Program.  The program will run from June 24 to July 23, 2013 and will facilitate young people to travel and tour Armenia and Artsakh, while engaging in meaningful service projects benefiting Armenia and her people.

“Following the successes we experienced in 2012 with both groups of Armenian and American young people working on service projects in both Yerevan and in the regions, we look forward to summer 2013.  Participants will be working on renovating school classrooms and distributing shoes and other humanitarian aid.”  Said Peter Abajian, Executive Director of The Paros Foundation.

Throughout the program, participants will tour historic, religious and cultural sites throughout Armenia and Artsakh with experienced, English speaking staff and guides.  Safe and well located accommodations and transportation combined with interesting cultural and educational activities will ensure all will have a terrific and memorable experience.  The program is open to both Armenian and American young people wishing to participate in this once in a lifetime opportunity.  Knowledge of the Armenian language is not required.   Join us and create a lifetime of great memories and friends.

More information including photos and video and the application form can be found at www.paros-foundation.org/Armenia2013.  For more information, please contact Peter Abajian (310) 400-9061 or via E-mail peter@paros-foundation.org.

YEREVAN, Armenia–Share-a-Pair, part of The Paros Foundation’s 100 for 100 Projects for Prosperity, has successfully distributed more than 25,000 pairs of new shoes to Armenia’s most needy children.

Thanks to the support of generous sponsors and a major U.S. shoe manufacturer, The Paros Foundation staff and its volunteers and non-governmental organization partners, coordinated the effort to distribute shoes to children in need. Shoes were distributed to children in 11 orphanages, 8 boarding schools, 12 NGOs, and in14 cities and more than 100 villages throughout Armenia. Volunteers from Armenia, Sweden and the United States joined together in this ambitious distribution effort.

“Share-a-Pair embarked on the daunting task of putting shoes on the feet of children in Armenia’s most isolated and economically challenged villages and regions.” Said Peter Abajian, Executive Director of The Paros Foundation. “Paros Foundation Staff and volunteers visited more than 100 villages using kindergartens and schools as distribution points within a 3-month period.”

“Working to get shoes to children in the villages was exhausting.” Said Kristen Abajian, co-founder of Share-a-Pair. “Long drives on terrible roads, beautiful scenery and difficult conditions in the villages made this experience an emotional one for all of us. Seeing happy children and smiling faces made it all worth while.”

The Paros Foundation has produced a short nine-minute video featuring the shoe distribution process and some of the beneficiaries. The video is available by calling (310) 400-9061, or can be found on the Foundation’s website www.paros-foundation.org, facebook page or on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_17oYhBSrP0).

“When we started Share-a-Pair 18 months ago, our goal was clear and within reach—put 1,000 pairs of new shoes on the feet of needy Armenian children. I am so thankful that with the support of a selfless group of volunteers and donors, we were able to not only reach, but also far exceed our original goal. Now our focus shifts to warm winter boots,” said co-founder Bridget Abajian.

The Share-a-Pair team has now launched an effort to put warm winter boots on the feet of Armenia’s needy children called “Operation Winter Boots.” Donations are welcome in any amount, and a $20 donation will ensure a child’s feet stay warm in Armenia this winter.

The Paros Foundation was formally launched in 2006 and is based in Berkeley, California. Its Chairman, Roger Strauch, and Executive Director, Peter Abajian, have a long history of working with Armenia and the Armenian-American community to support Armenia’s rich culture and heritage, improve the lives of people with disabilities and to create positive opportunities for Armenia’s children. In 2011, The Paros Foundation launched its Paros 100 for 100, Projects for Prosperity initiative to properly commemorate the centennial of the Armenian Genocide through the implementation of 100 special projects benefiting Armenia and her people. The Paros Foundation is not affiliated with the Ghazarian family’s Paros “Lighthouse” Charitable Foundation.

For more information and to get involved, please visit www.paros-foundation.org.

Yerevan, Armenia—Sixteen high-school students from The College Preparatory School in Oakland, California had the unique and exciting opportunity to meet with U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Heffern to discuss the mission of the U.S. Embassy in Armenia as part of their recent journey to Armenia. While at the Embassy, students also heard from several senior staff about careers in the U.S. Foreign Service.

In addition to being hosted at the U.S. Embassy, the delegation of 16 students and representatives from the School and The Paros Foundation visited the ROA Foreign Ministry and met with H.E. Amb. Vahe Gabrielyan, head of the Armenia’s Diplomatic Academy, and several historic and cultural sites throughout Armenia including riding on the aerial tramway to the magnificent Monastery of Tatev.

As part of their visit, the students from The College Preparatory School were introduced to several students from the Manana Youth Center, where they each had a unique opportunity to interact with one another as peers. During the visit, both groups of students participated in the ground breaking and clearing of the future site of “Ari’s Playground,” one of the Paros 100 for 100, Projects for Prosperity initiatives currently underway. Ari’s Playground is being built at the Yerevan Children’s Home in Nork, Armenia, which houses more than 80 children ages 0-6 years of age. Ari’s Playground is being named after Ari Spiglanin, who was adopted from the Yerevan Children’s Home more than 2 years ago by Lauren and Tom Spiglanin, who have taken the initiative to raise the funds necessary to complete this exciting project. For more information about Ari’s Playground visit www.paros-foundation.org/paros100/.

Founded in 1960, The College Preparatory School is an independent coeducational day school, grades 9-12 for intellectual risk-takers who want to pursue a serious, purposeful education with others who feel the same way. The College Preparatory School has been ranked by the Wall Street Journal and by Forbes.com as one of the top independent high schools in the nation.

Formally launched in 2006, The Paros Foundation’s goal is to develop high-quality, high-integrity non-governmental organizations in Armenia by providing guidance and needed resources. This includes providing inspiring office space; free of charge, to three of the six organizations The Foundation works with in Armenia. To honor the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, The Paros Foundation launched The Paros 100 for 100, Projects for Prosperity program to implement 100 special projects, to help grow Armenia stronger and improve the lives of her people.

The College Preparatory School delegation was made possible through the support of The Paros Foundation.

From One of the Participants:

American Students Visit Armenia
On Tuesday April 3, 2012, 16 jet-lagged American teenagers and two faculty members arrived at Zvartnots Armenian International Airport. We planned to spend 11 days touring the beautiful and culturally rich country of Armenia. My fellow students and I attend The College Preparatory School in Oakland. Our group ranged in age from 14-18 years old and came from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. Many students had yet to travel outside North America. The idea for the trip came from Roger Strauch, the founder of Paros Foundation. Peter Abajian, Paros’ Executive Director, organized the itinerary and logistics. Beginning in October, we students raised funds from food sales and school wide car washes. Eventually, we were ready for this unique opportunity and once in a lifetime experience.

Our itinerary was packed with adventure. At the airport, we were met by the chief coordinator, Pete, our energetic tour guide, Marina, our good friend and trip assistant Harutoun, our nationally famous bus driver, Varek, and of course, Roger. We immediately set off for our “home” passing by a little Las Vegas, Drunken Bridge, the National Assembly grounds, and the president’s house.

On the first day, the group visited key tourist destinations in Yerevan. First thing in the morning, we climbed aboard our bus named “Cool Bus” and headed for Mother Armenia, an enormous statue at the top of the city visible from anywhere in Yerevan. At the same site, we saw the war memorial, which is dedicated to unidentified Armenian soldiers KIA during WW1 and the Azerbajian war. We then visited the modern art museum in the Cascade, which features famous art pieces connected with ancient Armenian history and awesome glass sculptures. Afterwards, we ate delicious chicken kebab sandwiches and made a quick visit to St. Gregory’s, Armenia’s largest church located in central Yerevan. The same day, we were honored to meet the United States Ambassador, the Honorable John Heffern, and his senior staff at the embassy itself. We visited and befriended the children of the Manana Youth Center, the leading organization in Armenia that provides kids with the technology and professional guidance for movie making and journalistic photography. We paired up with Manana high school students who were were English speaking. They showed us some of their brilliant, beautiful, and touching movies and the rooms where they filmed and edited many of these films. We all met for dinner later that night, and after warming up to our new friends, we all danced to traditional and classy live Armenian music in the center of the restaurant. It was incredibly fun.

On Day 2, the combined student group of about 35 people visited Samosavank monastery, located on the edge of a 2,000 ft. deep canyon. There we learned about the geology of the area and the history of the Church. We of course also found time to have a huge snowball fight! That afternoon our large group worked on a service project to clear out the yard of an orphanage so that the Paros Foundation could begin construction of a wading pool and play area. That night, we invited the Manana kids to a homemade American lasagna dinner, and together we worked several hours to make an entertaining stop motion pixilation film.

The third day consisted of the Manana and Prep kids bussing to the ancient pagan temple at Garni. After Garni, we drove, while playing some pretty crazy Armenian kids games, to the monastery complex at Geghard and explored the seven different chapels built into the mountain. We then drove back to Yerevan and toured the National History Museum in Republic Square. At this museum, our proud and knowledgeable tour guide showed us ancient wheels, golden jewelry, the world’s oldest shoe, and enormous food cauldrons. On our way home via subway, innocent Charlie, a 6’8” Prep basketball player, thought he that he should take some pictures of the “Armenian Underground” to show to his family.  Alas, poor Charlie was arrested because the subway system is also a bomb shelter. Fellow Prep student Dina’s awesome Russian-speaking skills came to the rescue, and he was let out with only a warning.

On Day 4, the group perused the market of Vernissage where the Prep students purchased all sorts of fun merchandise including old Soviet military medals, a Soviet stopwatch and dysfunctional spyglasses, duduks, teeshirts, and bracelets. After that, we bussed to lunch at Lake Sevan and wound up the path to take pictures of the beautiful lake and landscape. On the path, we met a famous stone carver who was diligently working on his next piece while overlooking the spectacular scenery. We then traveled to the ancient city of Dilijan and watched some pottery being made. That night, barbeque dinner was at an enormous restaurant equipped with a jumpy house for kids, a dance floor and stage, a Las Vegas style fountain, and 1,400 of our best Armenian friends.

The next day was Easter. We were fortunate enough to attend Badarak at Holy Etchmiazin and then engage in a traditional egg cracking competition at the Armenian Cultural Center. Later the group was taken to the Genocide Memorial where we laid a wreath at the eternal flame, but unfortunately the
museum itself was closed. The next day, we climbed down St. Gregory’s pit at Khor Virap, and then drove many hours to Tatev Monastery. To reach the secluded fortress, we had to take the world’s longest sky tramway. We then explored the labyrinth of rooms dug into the mountain. That night, the group stayed in a hotel in the village of Goris and walked around in the hills looking for all the caves where the locals keep their cattle. The next morning, the group visited the Stonehenge of Armenia, Karahunge, and then we took the long winding road, through a canyon, to Noravank monastery. We had to climb a narrow, ancient staircase to access the sanctuary.

After an exhausting week of travel, we returned to Yerevan for our last full day in Armenia. We visited Grand Candy, the Foreign Ministry,
and then had a fantastic party with the Manana kids celebrating a successful trip. Besides being fun and a first class adventure, Armenia broadened all of our horizons, and many of the students have said that they want to return to Armenia with their families in the future.

Written by: Alex Kulhanjian Strauch
The College Preparatory School Class of 2014

White Lake Township, MI—A Barbie, a new shiny bike or perhaps even a puppy… these are the types of gifts one would expect a four year old to ask for on her fifth birthday. Not Mia! This Michigan based young lady can teach many of us about the spirit of giving. She decided that for her 5TH birthday, she wanted all of her friends and family to come to her party and bring a new pair of winter boots for needy children in Armenia.

“I saw a little girl on TV that decided to deliver boots to an orphanage. I thought maybe I could do that because we both have lots of stuff already,” said Mia.

Her mom, Debbie Dalbis, contacted the Detroit Chapter of share-a-pair, a project of The Paros Foundation to see if Mia’s wish could be fulfilled and the boots that she was aiming to collect actually get onto the feet of needy children in Armenia. On May 19th, family and friends gathered to celebrate Mia’s 5th birthday. The net result is this special five year-old’s wish came true. This winter, almost 200 children (that is 400 feet!) will have warm and dry feet thanks to Mia’s selflessness, her mom’s commitment to her community, and the generosity of Mia’s family and friends.

“Mia is an incredible little girl and with the support of her family, has done an incredible thing. “Said Peter Abajian, Executive Director of The Paros Foundation. “We will ship these new boots to Armenia and distribute them to vulnerable children this fall so they can wear the boots this winter.”

Share-a-pair has distributed more than 12,600 pairs of shoes to vulnerable children in Armenia. Distributions will continue through the month of July during a regional distribution campaign, during which an additional 12,200 pair will put on the feet of children in need. Share-a-pair was started in 2010 with a fixed goal of collecting and distributing 1,000 pairs for Armenia’s children. It has since met the initial goal and has grown into a substantial humanitarian effort.

Formally launched in 2006, The Paros Foundation’s goal is to develop high-quality, high-integrity non-governmental organizations in Armenia by providing guidance and needed resources. This includes providing inspiring office space; free of charge, to three of the six organizations The Foundation works with in Armenia. To honor the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, The Paros Foundation launched The Paros 100 for 100, Projects for Prosperity program to implement 100 special projects, to help grow Armenia stronger and improve the lives of her people. For more information on The Paros Foundation or the Paros 100 for 100 Projects for Prosperity visit www.paros-foundation.org/.