AECP Gala Funds New Eye Clinic in Kotayk Region of Armenia
The Armenian EyeCare Project (AECP) held its annual gala at the Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach on November 23. The goal was to raise funds to be able to eliminate preventable blindness in Armenia and making quality eye care accessible to everyone in the country. This has been AECP’s mission in Armenia since it was founded in 1992 by Dr. Roger Ohanesian.
More specifically, the goal this year was to raise funds for AECP to be able to open a new eye clinic in the Kotayk province of Armenia, a region in the country that currently has no eye care facility despite the more than 250,000 residents living there.
The upcoming clinic in Kotayk will be AECP’s fifth Diagnostic Eye Clinic in Armenia since the nonprofit’s campaign to fund the eye exam clinics began in 2022. The other four clinics include 1) the Jirair S. and Elizabeth Hovnanian Diagnostic Eye Clinic located in Martuni; 2) the Don H. and Vardi Vanitzian Diagnostic Eye Clinic located in Armavir; 3) the Talin Regional Diagnostic Eye Clinic located in Talin and sponsored by Latter-day Saint Charities and 4) the John and Tanya Hovanesian Diagnostic Eye Clinic located in Ararat.
During the banquet, AECP honored two foundations that have been supportive of the organization’s efforts in Armenia: World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) and the Jirair S. and Elizabeth Hovnanian Family Foundation.
World Diabetes Foundation was highlighted at AECP’s Gala as its Corporate Honoree of the Year due to its years-long partnership with the foundation in developing a diabetes program in Armenia that focuses on reducing the rate of blindness and vision impairment caused by diabetes and diabetes-related eye disease. AECP Country Director Dr. Nune Yeghiazaryan, who works with WDF in Armenia, spoke about the foundation and its impact in the country.
The Jirair S. and Elizabeth Hovnanian Family Foundation was highlighted as AECP’s Family Honoree of the Year. The foundation, based in New Jersey, has been supporting AECP for many years with several of its initiatives. One of the more recent contributions was the foundation’s sponsorship of the Jirair S. and Elizabeth Hovnanian Diagnostic Eye Clinic in Martuni, the first Diagnostic Eye Clinic fully funded and able to be developed in Armenia. AECP was honored to welcome the grandchildren of the late Jirair S. and Elizabeth Hovnanian, Haig Hovnanian and Janeen Hovnanian, to its event to represent their family’s foundation.
Among the sponsors of the gala were: the AECP Champion Sponsor, the Nora Tertzag Hampar Charitable Trust as well as AECP Crusader Sponsors, the Armen and Gloria Hampar Family Foundation; Dr. and Mrs. John and Tanya Hovanesian; Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Elizabeth Aghajanian; Ms. Diane Barsam and Mr. Mark Derderian.
Captions for photos:
Left to right: AECP Vice President Dr. John Hovanesian, AECP Founder and President Dr. Roger Ohanesian, Mr. Haig Hovnanian and Ms. Janeen Hovnanian.
