Homenetmen Glendale "Ararat" Chapter Newsletter
Vol. 6  Issue 2 June 2009
Greetings!
ARARATLINK is a monthly online publication intended for the benefit and enjoyment of our members and supporters. It covers highlights of membership, our recent activities and upcoming events. 

Our hope is to develop a publication that will successfully promote and showcase the caliber of programs offered and maintained at Ararat. Our main objective remains providing relevant and useful information. We look forward to this new endeavor and thank you in advance for your patience and feedback. 

ARARATLINK will serve as an ongoing communication tool with our membership at large, keeping each one informed and engaged with the organization's current activities. We encourage all members to share it with friends and family to enhance community's awareness of Ararat's mission and ongoing programs.

We welcome all your questions, comments and suggestions on this newsletter. Please e-mail your correspondence to the editor at info@ararat.org.

Navasartian Games
Navasartian Games are about sportsmanship, leadership and teamwork

The 34th Annual Navasartian Games, with more than 1000 Ararat athletes participating,  are in full swing. Year after year, the games continue to be a success with the collaborative effort of generous volunteers. About 300 teams with over 6,000 athletes compete in this annual tournament. More than 35,000 spectators gather to support the athletes, over a period of eight weeks. The games come to a close on the weekend of the Fourth of July, with a festival and a closing ceremony that acknowledge the participating Homenetmen athletes, scouts, parents and volunteers from the 17 chapters in the Western United States. This year, the final weekend of the games will be from July 2-5.

Armik Ebrahimian, a past Board Chairperson, and a long time exemplary volunteer himself, explained: "The leaders of the Basketball and General Athletics divisions and the coaches put in hundreds of hours a year. They definitely dedicate a good 200-300 hours of volunteer time. Parent volunteers help with coaching and preparation for the games. They promote teamwork and help develop the leadership skills that empower our young athletes. Our kids compete in basketball, soccer, volleyball, table tennis, track and field, swimming, tennis and chess."

"This is a cohesive effort and it's not just about winning medals and awards," Armond Gorgorian, executive director of Homenetmen "Ararat" Chapter, said, " We reap the result of the hard work that the leaders, coaches, parents and athletes put in round the year."

This year, various athletic events are held at Birmingham High School, Pasadena City College, Glendale "Ararat" Chapter, Rose & Alex Pilibos Armenian School and Glendale Community College.


For more information about the Navasartian Games or to view a calendar and schedule of the games, visit www.navasartiangames.com.

 Scouts' Fundraiser Dinner Dance
 
On May 2, 2009, the Scouting Division held its annual Fundraiser Dinner Dance. The event was a HUGE success, not only in terms of the funds raised, but also in terms of many new bonds of friendship that were formed during its planning and organizing phases. An incredibly close teamwork between parents and scouts enabled us to achieve a common goal with a very short time for preparation.
 
 
More than 200 guests danced the night away during this fun filled evening with good food and high spirits.
 
Very sincere thanks goes to our Scout leaders, for their role in bringing everything together. They did an amazing job!
8th Annual Tennis Tournament 
Every year, Ararat Tennis Committee and it's dedicated group of volunteers organize a large-scale tennis tournament and try to reach every athlete in the community.
 

The tournament took place in Glendale's Glorietta Park during the weekends of May 1-3 and May 8-10, 2009. More than 220 registered players, from age 5 to 65, from absolute beginners to advanced level players participated and competed in 26 categories. The tournament closing ceremony was held at Ararat Center and was joined by Mr. Henry Talbert, USTA - Southern California - Executive Director, who personally awarded the medals. In his speech Mr. Talbert recognized the significance of organizations like Homenetmen Glendale "Ararat" Chapter and their roll in developing the future generation of this city and surrounding communities.
 
 
This event was made possible by close cooperation of local and surrounding court managers and coaches. They took it upon themselves to make sure that players as well as spectators were well entertained for both weekends and so that they have more than one reason to come back, next year.
Mother's Day Celebration
 
On May 10, 2009, over 230 guests gathered at the Brandview Collection in Glendale to honor this special day.
The Mother's Day celebration was highlighted by a number of performances. The Chapter's very own Dance Group, under Anoush Mihranian's direction, delighted the audience. In addition, singer Mary Melkonian's performance accompanied by Lillian Mardirosian on "Kanon" made the event more special.
The Great American Clean Up Day




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The 21st Annual Great Americ

an Clean Up Day took place on May 30, 2009. The City of Glendale Neighborhood Services organizes the event and the residents take part by volunteering their time to help remove graffiti from various locations throughout the city, clean up vacant lots and remove litter from streets. After helping keep the city clean and beautiful, the dedicated volunteers return to the kick-off site for a community barbecue, entertainment, and prizes! This is an important event to promote a strong sense of citizenship and community involvement and Community Service hours are awarded to high school students for their participation.


Ararat scouts participate in this event, regularly. This year, fourteen of our young community volunteers cleaned up a vacant lot from litter and brush and earned the praise and thanks of the neighbors.

Calendar of Events

1) 6/13 & 6/14/09: Navasartian Swim meet and Track & Field at Birmingham High.

2) 6/14/09: "Ararat" Cultural Division will present "Classic Event" which will feature excerpts from PARUIR SEVAK ,  music from KOMITAS and ARARAT CHOIR. Wine and cheese will be served.  For more information please click on the following link: Classic Event

This will be a very enjoyable evening since we have several well known performers such as the "HI-AM" quartet, Alenoush Yeghnazar (soprano), Vatche Mankerian (piano), Lilit Keheyan & Razmik Shahgaldians (recitals) and the "Ararat" Choir. Wine and cheese and other refreshments will be served during the event. The tickets are $20 and available for purchase at Ararat Office or you can purchase them by visiting: itsmyseat

3) 6/22/09: Adult Dance Class bi-monthly potluck will be held at Ararat Center. New registrations will be done the same time.

 4) 7/2-5/09: 34th Navasartian final games, festival and closing ceremony at Birmingham High School. For more information please visit: navasartian games

5) 7/10-12/09: Family Overnight Camp at Camp Verdugo Oaks, Castaic Lake. Enjoy a great camp fire night with good friends.
Fun activities organized for the family: Pool, Archery, Volleyball, Soccer, Bingo, Arts & Crafts, Chess, Backgammon,and Talent Show.
Space is limited and the deadline to register is June 20, 2009.
For more information and to sign up for the Camp click on the following link:
Family Camp
Contact Information

Homenetmen Glendale "Ararat" Chapter
3347 N. San Fernando Rd.
Los Angeles, CA 90065

Homenetmen Glendale "Ararat" Chapter
3628 San Fernando Road
Glendale, CA. 91204
 
Main Office:
Tel: (323) 256-2564
Fax: (323) 256-0639
E-mail: info@ararat.org
Executive Director: Armond Gorgorian

Athletics Office:
Tel: (323) 256-0651
Fax: (323) 256-0639
E-mail: athletics@ararat.org
Athletics' Director: Housik Gukasyan
 
We'd love to hear from you. Please e-mail your questions, comments, and suggestions on this newsletter to the editor at info@ararat.org.
In This Issue
Navasartian Games
Scouts' Fundraiser
Tennis Tournament
Mother's Day
Great Clean Up Day
Calendar of Events
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