ARS Centennial Endowment Fund Receives $20,000 Donation
from Harout and Sylvia Istanboulian of Milan, Italy
The Armenian Relief Society, Inc. Centennial Endowment Fund has received a generous $20,000 donation from Harout and Sylvia Istanboulian of Milan, Italy. But the ARS gained more than a monetary contribution to the Fund from the Istanboulians.
It gained an ARS member in Sylvia Istanboulian.
The Istanboulians made the donation to the ARS Centennial Endowment Fund because of their deep appreciation for the ARS’s humanitarian work throughout the world.
“Through this donation, I wanted to bring my participation to the great work that the ARS does for our community, both in the Diaspora and in Armenia,” said Sylvia Istanboulian in explaining the reason her family thought the ARS Centennial Endowment Fund contribution was necessary.
“For me, the ARS represents the recognition, hope, and preservation of our heritage,” she added.
Istanboulian was present in Armenia in September 2006 for the celebration of the 15th anniversary of the ARS’s establishment in Armenia. It was during that time that Istanboulian was administered the ARS membership oath by ARS Central Executive Board Chairwoman Hasmig Derderian.
Why did Istanboulian join the ARS?
“It is a great honor for me to bring my participation to this great and significant organization, whose purpose is to protect the Armenian people and support future generations of the Armenian community,” she said.
As an ARS member-at-large in Milan, Italy, Istanboulian has been an ambassador for the Society in her small and diverse Armenian-Italian community. Istanboulian’s location in Italy has only enhanced her appreciation for the ARS and her membership in the organization.
“We Armenians of the Diaspora who live in the four corners of the world know very well how difficult it is to maintain our heritage and pass this heritage on to the new generation,” Istanboulian observed. “Therefore, for as long as the ARS exists, we can remain Armenian, wherever we live.”
Istanboulian urges all Armenians to make a contribution to the ARS Centennial Endowment Fund, whatever the dollar amount.
“The amount of the contribution isn’t important,” she noted. “It’s the purpose of the donation that is important.”
The ARS, Inc. established the ARS Centennial Endowment Fund in honor of the Society’s 100th anniversary in 2010. The ARS’s goal is to raise at least $5 million for the Fund and use the interest earned from the Fund to strengthen its existing programs around the world and to create new ones for the benefit of Armenians and others everywhere.
To make a donation to the ARS Inc. Centennial Endowment Fund, please visit the ARS, Inc. website located at
www.ars1910.org and go to the Centennial Fund Drive page for a donation form. Donors may also e-mail
execdirector@ars1910.org
or telephone (617) 926-5892 for more information or to arrange to make a donation of land, trust, stocks or another financial instrument.
January 11, 2008