For Immediate Release
January 21, 2014

TORONTO ARMENIAN COMMUNITY’S NEW YEAR GIFT TO ARTSAKH SCHOOLCHILDREN

New York, NY — The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s Toronto affiliate continues to provide assistance to Artsakh schools previously supported by Toronto’s Armenian community. Recently, on the occasion of the New Year, students of Shushi’s Daniel Ghazaryan Music School were presented with new uniforms, which were donated by a diaspora family of expert tailors. In addition, winter clothes and shoes were gifted to a total of 165 schoolchildren in the Martakert Region’s Mataghis village and the Martuni Region’s Spitakashen community.

Toronto-affiliate chair Migirdich Migirdichian, who has been serving on the Board of the Ghazaryan Music School for over a decade, expressed great pride in the achievements of the school’s gifted students — including their participation in numerous music festivals and competitions, at many of which they have won top prizes and awards.

Since 2002, the Armenian community of Toronto has provided financial support for the establishment, renovation, and advancement of several educational institutions in Artsakh. In 2006 and 2010, it sponsored the construction of the Mataghis school and the Spitakashen school, respectively; between 2002 and 2011, it supported the renovation of classrooms, the construction of a boiler room, and the installation of a heating system at the Shushi Music School; and in 2013, it donated 15 violins and brass instruments to the latter institution.

ARMENIA FUND USA: founded in 1992, was one of the first of “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund’s 20 international affiliates and serves constituents in all states east of the Mississippi. As a non-profit, non-governmental, nonsectarian organization, the Fund represents all Armenian constituents, supporting strategic infrastructure projects in Armenia and Karabakh. The Fund has adopted a policy to go “Beyond Bricks and Mortar” to provide sustainability for projects it sponsors.