As students return to school this season, AGBU marks the opening of its newest school in Pasadena, California. Working to serve the educational needs of the thriving Armenian community in Southern California, the Pasadena High School is the second AGBU day school to serve the Los Angeles area and the first Armenian school in Pasadena.

Also in California, the Centennial Gala that took place early this summer raised over $800,000, and AGBU received one of the largest donations in its history when Jack Munushian of Los Angeles bequeathed $10 million to ensure that the organization's mission to preserve the Armenian heritage continues for centuries to come.

AGBU's summer youth programs have wrapped up for another year — French youth journeyed to Armenia and Karabakh; camps in upstate New York, the French Alps and Bulgaria completed another fun-filled season; and dozens of college students become proud alumni of the New York and Paris Summer Intern Programs.

In other major news, as Lebanon rebuilds their country after this summer's tragic conflict, the Lebanon District continues to help provide support to refugees and the AYA Lebanon District University Students Committee has organized relief aid. Click on ‘This Week in Photos' for more information.

AGBU NAMED AS BENEFICIARY OF $10 MILLION TRUST ESTABLISHED BY PIONEERING SCIENTIST AND EDUCATOR Dr. JACK MUNUSHIAN

George R. Phillips, 2005 Man of the Year of the AGBU Southern California District, officially announced AGBU's designation as an income beneficiary, along with the American University of Armenia, of the Jack Munushian Charitable Trust estimated at $10 million. Faithful to Munushian's wishes, Co-Trustees Phillips and Zouhrab Bassmajian will select AGBU projects that support educational and other charitable endeavors in Armenia and the Diaspora.

"Generous yet firm in mind and spirit, Jack was the kind of person who remembered anybody that did anything nice for him and rewarded them in kind," said longtime associate Phillips. "His superior intellect, foresight, and humor, and above all, his humility, earned my respect and admiration from the very beginning."...

Centennial Gala Raises Record $800,000 for Southern California District
On June 17, 2006, AGBU Southern California District ceremoniously marked the organization's Centennial Anniversary with a fundraising gala at the Universal Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Raising a record-breaking $800,000 for local AGBU youth programs and the new Pasadena high school opening this September, the benefit's major benefactors were Jerry and Pat Turpanjian, the Manoogian Simone Foundation, the Jack Munushian Charitable Trust, Vahe and Veronique Karapetian, Dr. Kevork and Cecile Keshishian, and Berj and Belet Shahbazian. Emblematic of AGBU's role within the community, the Southern California sold-out affair, entitled “The One Hundred Years of AGBU,” united over 1,000 guests from a cross-section of religious, political and civic organizations...

Plovdiv Organizes the Green School Summer Camp for a Second Consecutive Year
From June 19 to 25, 2006, at the Balkan complex in Zdravetz campground, a picturesque mountainous region near Plovdiv, Bulgaria, the local AGBU Chapter hosted 26 Armenian youth at the Green School Summer Camp. Designed for Armenian youth 5 to 12 years of age, the Green School focuses on various activities aimed at teaching the Armenian language, while familiarizing the youth with Armenian Christian traditions...

SEPT/OCT CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Bringing Armenia to the Diaspora is one of the strengths of AGBU and this month Chicago and Paris work hard to whet the appetites of local Armenians with the sounds and tastes of the homeland. Visit this month's online calendar for a complete listing of events.