Armenian Cultural Foundation Raised $600,000 at a Fundraiser for Encino Community Youth Center

· September 4, 2025

ENCINO – In a display of unity and support, the Armenian Cultural Foundation Encino Chapter hosted a fundraising dinner, raising over $600,000 in a single evening toward the completion of the new ACF Youth Center in Encino.

With their $300,000 donation from the Kitsinian family (above) the center will be named after Sarkis and Suzan Kitsinian

The event, cohosted by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Rosdom Gomideh, brought together community leaders and supporters for a fundraising dinner on August 24 at the newly renovated center.

The ARS Anahid Chapter donated over $90,000 gifted from the will of the late ARS member Shakarian in memory of her grandson, Haig Diradourian

With Armenian Youth Federation Sardarabad Chapter member Vaugh Melkonian serving as Master of Ceremonies, the program featured remarks by ACF Encino Chairman Raffi Sarkissian, advisor Shant Hagopian, Esq., ARF Western U.S. Central Committee Chair Garo R. Madenlian, Esq., and former Los Angeles City Council President Emeritus Paul Krekorian.

The program opened with a blessing from Archpriest Razmig Khachadourian, who described the center as a dream come true for the community. Guests were entertained with dance and musical performances from the local Hamazkayin Baruyr Sevag Chapter. ACF member Shant H. Hagopian, Esq. provided a brief history of the project describing the challenges and obstacles faced in pursuing this endeavor for the past fifteen years along with the successes advanced by the community’s participation.

ARF Western U.S Central Committee chair Garo R. Madenlian

Madenlian praised the community’s determination and unity, describing the project as a testament to what can be achieved when vision meets resilience. Krekorian, an early supporter of the center and co-sponsor of the Los Angeles City Council legislation authorizing the lease, reflected on the ACF’s long-standing role in civic life and emphasized how, after years of effort, organizations like the Armenian Youth Federation, Armenian Relief Society, Homenetmen, Hamazkayin, and the ANCA San Fernando Valley-West Chapter would finally have a permanent home in the West San Fernando Valley.

L.A. City Council President Emeritus Paul Krekorian

He underscored how the ACF, and organizations that are under its umbrella serves as an example for how civic-minded communities can thrive.

Sarkissian delivered an update of the operations after the lease of the property was signed. He highlighted the United States Congress’ appropriation of 1.2 million dollars in redevelopment funds, secured through the assistance of Congressman Brad Sherman. Sarkissian described how, after the funds were appropriated, they sat dormant until the current ACF board completed the appropriation process and successfully secured the grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2024.

Encino ACF Chair Raffi SarkissianACF Encinco advisor Shant Hagopian, EsqMaster of Ceremonies Vaugh Melkonian

Plans for construction were soon after submitted and the ACF selected The Nazerian Group as general contractor for the project. Sarkissian praised Vartan Nazerian, exclaiming that he has treated the construction as his passion project – personally overseeing every detail and working closely with the ACF to ensure the community’s needs are reflected in the development. He concluded by announcing that a donor wall will be installed in the center’s lobby to recognize the community’s contributions to the center.

The announcement marks a major milestone in a project over fifteen years in the making as briefly described here. The origins of the center trace back to 2009, when the ANCA San Fernando Valley-West Chapter, chaired by Nareg Kitsinian, Esq. from 2009-2014, began engaging with the Los Angeles City Council about securing city-owned property for a permanent Armenian youth and community center, and met with then Councilmember Paul Koretz, and for the very first time asked for his support for surplus city property that could be converted to a community center. That effort led to a years-long search of city property and eventual identification of the vacant Encino Fire Station No. 83, located near the intersection of Balboa and Ventura Boulevard in Encino. After several subsequent meetings between members of the ANCA-SFW chapter and city officials, on May 31, 2011 the Councilman’s office informed that Councilman Koretz would support the communities effort to obtain the Encino Fire Station.

The Councilman’s support was historic and consequential, launching a decades long initiative by the Encino ACF Chapter and its sister organizations led by the ANCA-SFW chapter that involved never-before-seen political advocacy, engagement in elected positions throughout Los Angeles and a heightened level of policy involvement that truly had an impact on the political landscape in Encino.

The entrance to the center features a donor wall

For the next several years thereafter, key community advocates remained involved in navigating a complex approval process that included zone changes, historic preservation reviews, negotiations with the Los Angeles Unified School District, and engagement with the Encino Neighborhood Council, the Los Angeles City Council, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office and other city planning bodies. In 2021, the City of Los Angeles formally approved a long-term lease for the ACF to rehabilitate the fire station and convert it into a community center after a zone change was requested and approved by the Los Angeles City Planning Commission. Construction broke ground in January 2025 under the direction of The Nazerian Group.

On the evening of the fundraiser, Ankine Agopian presented a moving speech on behalf of the Armenian Relief Society Anahid Chapter, announcing a donation of over $90,000 gifted from the will of the late ARS member Shakarian in memory of her grandson, Haig Diradourian, who tragically passed away from cancer in his early twenties.

The event concluded with Sarkissian announcing that, in recognition of the Kitsinian family’s $300,000 pledge, the new center will bear the names of community benefactors Sarkis and Suzan Kitsinian and will officially be named the Armenian Cultural Foundation Sarkis & Suzan Kitsinian Youth Center. The announcement was met with thunderous applause, marking a fitting end to an unforgettable evening of unity.

The Armenian Cultural Foundation Sarkis & Suzan Kitsinian Youth Center is expected to open with a ribbon-cutting opening ceremony before the end of the year.