FOCUS 2001 MARKS 95 YEARS OF AGBU
August 8, 2001

(New York) - Over 700 young Armenians from 14 countries assembled in New York City from July 19th to the 22nd to celebrate AGBU’s 95 years of service to Armenians. The weekend, AGBU FOCUS 2001, was the first of its kind, as it was initiated and organized exclusively by Armenians from the AGBU youth programs and Young Professionals groups. While the goal of FOCUS 2001 was to bring together youth committed to networking and celebrating AGBU’s mission of preserving and promoting the Armenian heritage, the end result exceeded all expectations.

The weekend participants included alumni from three decades of Camp Nubar, 15 years of the New York Summer Intern Program and members of every Young Professional committee. By the conclusion of FOCUS 2001, the organizing committee had raised over $25,000 that will be donated to the AGBU Camp Nubar Endowment, AGBU Summer Intern Program Endowment, the American University of Armenia (AUA) Digital Library and the AGBU Young Professionals Generation Next Mentorship Program in Los Angeles.

Festivities commenced Thursday night with the Perspectives event held at AGBU's 59th Street Headquarters in Midtown Manhattan. Four panelists raised in London, Beirut, Los Angeles and New York, presented their views on growing up in their respective Armenian communities. One of the panelists, Elina Kazan, a native New Yorker, was pleasantly surprised by the evening, "As I shared my experience in front of a group of new faces, I soon felt like I was amongst friends. It was fascinating to hear how regardless of where each person was born and raised, we have all faced similar challenges and feel the same pride in our culture."

The panelists' experiences provided a springboard for members of the audience to share their insights as well. Mirna Keshishian, a FOCUS 2001 participant from Athens, says, "As second and third generation Diasporan Armenians our realities are different from our parents. Some of us live in cities far removed from large Armenian communities and others grow up without speaking the language, but the discussion at Perspectives demonstrated that we can all be equally active in building a community network."

The celebration's pace quickly changed from the professional atmosphere of Thursday night's panel to the casual air of Midtown's Au Bar nightclub. The Friday event offered guests the opportunity to experience New York's dynamic nightlife amidst a crowd of over 500 Armenians.

While guests arrived throughout the week, Saturday was the focal point of the celebrations. The day began with a private charter boat cruise which hosted over a hundred guests and toured New York's West Side down through the City's famed harbor to the Statue of Liberty. Talene Yotnosian, a Camp Nubar alumna from California, was happy to catch a glimpse of the city while having an opportunity to meet so many people that have benefited from the AGBU family of programs, "The boat cruise was a nice way to see the sights and a thrilling way to view the Statue of Liberty for those that have never been to the city before."

The anticipation for the Gala Evening had been building throughout the week as people continued to arrive in New York for the sold-out event at the 200 Fifth Club. Final touches were set into place as committee members worked to ensure that the 325 guests would experience a night to remember. Included on the bill of the evening's performances were pianist Tigran Martikyan, vocalist Solange Merdinian, violinist Yelena Yegoryan, and performers Stephen Odabashian and Lory Tatoulian. The night continued with the accompaniment of the Internationally Renowned Johnny Roubian whose music kept the global group of revelers on their feet as they enjoyed the distinctive sounds of East Coast kef music. Hagop Redjebian, a member of AGBU Young Professionals of Montreal, remembers, “Every event impressed me as highly organized, but my biggest surprise was the Gala program. I was pleased to see a well-organized presentation that included music, theater and a wonderful video which reminded me of all the experiences that have made AGBU a special presence in my life."

Salpi Mekhjian, Gala Chairperson, still can't believe the excitement and energy the weekend's climax was able to achieve, "We were elated to see a diverse and sophisticated crowd of younger Armenians celebrating the work of a wonderful organization that has not wavered in its commitment to our community."

The weekend concluded with a Sunday brunch at the city's world-famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Talar Berejiklian, who moved to New York from Denver to become more involved in the Armenian community, found the brunch an elegant setting to punctuate the whirlwind of events, "It was the perfect place to wind down after a fantastic weekend meeting new Armenians, discussing Armenian issues, and having a great time with my friends. I was sad that it had to end but it heightened my anticipation of the next celebration."

Reflecting on their success, the FOCUS 2001 committee already has plans to build on the foundations established by the event by making the weekend a more frequent occurrence. The funds raised by AGBU FOCUS 2001 will be donated to the same programs that brought together many of the weekend's participants, as Ms. Setrakian explains, "We are proud that FOCUS 2001 has been able to galvanize the international community. For many of us, we have grown up with and learned from AGBU's youth programs and now participate in Young Professionals events. By contributing to its mission we are not only saying thank you to AGBU, but we are demonstrating that we can and will safeguard our cultural values by ensuring a future for these programs."