ABMDR Annual Gala Celebrates Youth Internship Program, Adoption of Advanced Genetic Technology

LOS ANGELES — The Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry marked its 27th anniversary with its annual Gala, in Los Angeles, on August 30.

It was a celebration of ABMDR’s most recent achievements, including its adoption of a pioneering genetic-testing system and the expansion of its Summer Internship Program.

The Match for Life Gala, which comprised the ABMDR awards ceremony, took place at the Glendale Hilton, in Glendale. The event was attended by over 300 supporters, including elected officials, community leaders, and representatives of organizations.

After a cocktail hour and silent auction in the foyer and terrace of the Hilton’s Ballroom, the evening’s main program began inside the hall.

Opening remarks were delivered by Gala Committee co-chairs Amy Boyadjian and Sona Ashjian.

“There is something truly special about the way our community comes together,” Boyadjian said. “Whether through this Gala, our Walkathons, Casino Night, Comedy Night, or so many other events throughout the year, I am continually inspired by the compassion and dedication of the people in this room. Every donor registered with ABMDR represents a possibility. Every match represents hope. And every life saved reminds us why this work matters.”

On her part, Sona Ashjian said, “Tonight is about more than a celebration. It is about hope, compassion, and saving lives. ABMDR has built something extraordinary: a bridge between people who need a life-saving transplant and people who are willing to become their match. Our Armenian community has always understood the power of family and the importance of standing together. When one family is hurting, we come together to support them. When someone is in need, we answer the call. That spirit of unity is exactly what brings us together this evening.”

Ashjian went on to acknowledge the night’s award recipients and members of the Gala Committee, as well as the event’s major sponsors: Platinum sponsors Mr. and Mrs. Ara and Garinee Soudjian and Mr. and Mrs. Zaven and Vehanoosh Grigorian.

The Gala’s other sponsors included Adventist Health Glendale; Dr. Evlyn Avanessian; Drs. Garni and Evelyn Barkhoudarian; Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Amy Boyadjian of Tri-Tech; Artem Darbinyan and Rosie Diremsizian of Rama Drugs; Mark Geragos, Esq.; the Gourchounian family; Gayaneh Kostikyan, Beayna Hovsepian, and Arpineh Grigorian; Mrs. Carmen Lukassian; Dr. Vergine Madelian; Paulette Malekian of Engel & Volkers Real Estate; West Coast University; and William and Company. Documentary videos shown throughout the evening were produced and donated by filmmaker Garen Mirzaian of Table 22 Films.

The evening’s invocation was performed by Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese; and Rev. Fr. Nzhdeh Keshishyan.

In his address, Arch. Derderian said, “For 27 years, ABDMR has carried forward a simple yet powerful mission: to give hope and to save lives. It’s a mission that reminds us of the extraordinary difference one human can make in the life of another. Behind every new donor, every match, and every transplant is a human story: a patient hoping for another tomorrow, a family praying for healing, and a donor willing to give of themselves so that another person can live.”

In his welcome remarks, Master of Ceremonies Dr. Vicken Sepilian, President of the Armenian Medical International Committee, said, “We are here tonight to celebrate a very dedicated and gifted group of individuals who are working tirelessly throughout the world to bring innovation, to bring cutting-edge science and know-how, to Armenia, in order to benefit not only ethnic Armenians, but all people who may share a genetic relation with us. This has been accomplished thanks to the support of all of you here. Tonight, we’re not only celebrating ABMDR’s 27th anniversary, but kicking off its next 27 years.”

Dr. Sepilian acknowledged the presence of distinguished guests, including Glendale City Mayor Ardy Kassakhian; Glendale City Council members Elen Asatryan and Alek Bartrosouf; former Mayor of Pasadena William Paparian; Greg Krikorian of the Glendale Unified School District Board of Education; Glendale City Planning Commissioner Editha Fuentes; Bob Barsam, Chairman of the St. James Armenian Church Board of Trustees; Dr. Evgeni Sokurenko, founder and Chairman of ID Genomics and the ArmGen project; Adventist Health Glendale Vice President of Business Development Dr. Ramella Markarian; LA Cancer Network Board members Dr. Boris Bagdasarian and Dr. Nubar Boghossian; Armenian American Medical Society President Elizabeth Zoryan and past presidents Dr. Garni Barkhoudarian, Dr. Varoosh Alaverdian, Dr. Kevin Galstyan, and Dr. Raffi Tachdjian (in addition to past presidents Dr. Boris Bagdasarian and Dr. Vicken Sepilian himself); Head of School of AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School Dr. David Ghoogasian; from the Armenian Relief Society Western region, Board members Varduhi Petrosian and Jasik Jerahian, as well as former ARS Central Board Chair Vicky Marashlian; and Taleen Khatchadourian, President and Board Leader of the Armenian Autism Outreach Project as well as an ABMDR Board member.

Dr. Sepilian then invited the evening’s keynote speaker, ABMDR President Dr. Frieda Jordan, to the podium.

“For the past 27 years, we have stayed committed to our mission, recruiting donors, finding matches, and saving lives, all the while trying to make our voice heard in new communities and engaging them to join us and help us grow,” Dr. Jordan said.

“To this end,” she continued, “we turned to our youth, and after establishing our NextGen group, we launched our Summer Internship Program, in Yerevan. This program, now in its second year, draws the young generation to ABMDR’s mission, introduces them to the exciting field of immunogenetics and transplantation, and provides them with hands-on training in modern molecular techniques. The hope is that as informed young men and women, they will return to their communities as advocates and enthusiastic members of the ABMDR family, and help us in our outreach and recruitment efforts.

“But while we try to engage our youth for our future, we never forget that we wouldn’t be here without you, our generous and devoted supporters. Your trust and support are the driving force that keeps us doing what we do: not just helping our leukemia and lymphoma patients, but also playing a vital role in kidney and liver transplantation programs in Armenia.”

After Dr. Jordan’s remarks, ABMDR Executive Director Dr. Sevak Avagyan addressed the audience. “The ABMDR Lab, in Yerevan, has continued to make significant strides during the past year,” he said. “Our team has organized several donor recruitments in the homeland, while our doctors and experts have represented ABMDR at prestigious conferences across the globe. In addition, our Lab supervisor, Armine Hyusyan, as an official EFI inspector, helped conduct an inspection of a top immunological facility in Istanbul. In tandem with these activities, we have continued to conduct HLA-typing, and to play an increasingly greater role in the work of kidney and liver transplant centers in Armenia.”

Dr. Avagyan continued, “I think one of our most important achievements this past year was adopting the Oxford Nanopore Technology. When a transplant patient needs a donor, identifying a potential match is only the first step. More detailed testing is then required to determine the best possible match. The new technology that we adopted makes that process much faster and more precise, allowing transplant centers to receive vital information more efficiently – and, ultimately, giving patients a better chance of finding the donor they need.”

At this juncture, Certificates of Completion were presented to the participants of this year’s ABMDR Summer Internship Program, including siblings Natalia and Darren Avanesian, from Providence High School, Burbank; Emma Kardzair, from Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School, Los Angeles; Jacqueline Khatchadourian, from Immaculate Heart High School, Los Angeles; and Alexia Minassian, from Chaminade College Preparatory High School, West Hills, California. A sixth intern to receive a certificate is Iren Babajanyan, from Lucille-Teasdale International School, Brossard, Quebec, Canada, who could not attend the Gala.

Following this segment, Dr. Sepilian announced the bestowal of the ABMDR Inspiration Award on John Thorrington, President of Soccer Operations for the Los Angeles Football Club. Dr. Sepilian said, “As a proud Armenian, John has embraced opportunities to celebrate and uplift the Armenian community throughout Los Angeles, from championing LAFC’s annual Armenian Heritage Night to welcoming ABMDR at the stadium during soccer matches. He has used the platform of sports to bring communities together and amplify ABMDR’s life-saving mission.” Thorrington, who could not attend the Gala, delivered his acceptance speech via a video recording.

The presentation of the video was followed by remarks from ABMDR Board members Taleen Khachadourian and Paulette Malekian, who shared their experiences as volunteers with the organization. As a bone marrow donor, Malekian also spoke of the profoundly-rewarding experience of having helped save someone’s life.

Next came the “Be an Angel, Save a Life” fundraising portion of the evening, featuring the young ABMDR Angels. As this segment was underway, Allen G and his orchestra delighted the guests with performances of Armenian and world pop classics.

The evening’s main awards ceremony followed the musical interlude.

The ABMDR Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred on Karine Khudikian. The Business of the Year Award was presented to Porto’s Bakery – with Betty Porto and Margarita Porto, vice presidents and co-owners of Porto’s Bakery, accepting the award. For the past several years, Porto’s Bakery has been generously donating pastries to ABMDR’s annual walkathons in Los Angeles.

The ABMDR Volunteer of the Year Awards were presented to Lori Mehdikhani, Emineh Hacopian, and Metaksya Diremsizian.

The Woman of the Year Award was bestowed on Dr. Evelyn Baghdasarian, and the Man of the Year Award was conferred on filmmaker Ara Soudjian.

Soudjian was introduced by Glendale Mayor Ardy Kassakhian. “Ara Soudjian has spent his life telling stories through film,” Kassakhian said and continued, “His own story is one of art, compassion, and service. He is an activist and a fierce patriot. For him, helping his people is not just about words, but selfless action.”

Subsequently the 2026 ABMDR Lottery was drawn and the winners were announced, while supporters continued to participate in the silent auction in the foyer, and the festivities resumed inside the hall, with guests dancing to the music of Allen G and his orchestra.

Established in 1999, ABMDR, a nonprofit organization, helps Armenians and non-Armenians worldwide survive life-threatening blood-related illnesses by recruiting and matching donors to those requiring bone marrow stem cell transplants. To date, the registry has recruited over 33,500 donors in 32 countries across four continents, identified over 9,000 patients, and facilitated 45 bone marrow transplants. For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit the website.