ORRAN GALA RAISES $400,000 FOR VULNERABLE CHILDREN, ELDERLY AND FAMILIES IN ARMENIA
Los Angeles, CA –– ‘Evening with Orran’ Gala in Los Angeles raised $400,000 for Orran which for nearly 25 years has cared for Armenia’s vulnerable children, elderly and families, helped over 30,000 people in dire need from Armenia and Artsakh.
Gala Co-Chairs Hermine Oruncakciel and Marina Kurian welcomed and thanked supporters and committee members.
Following Father Zaven Markosyan’s invocation, Mistress of Ceremonies filmmaker Ani Hovannisian Kevorkian noted that Orran means ‘cradle’ or ‘haven’ in Armenian. She said, “As many times as I’ve been to Orran in the past 25 years, during the most exhilarating and crushing times in our homeland, Orran is, without exception, the happiest, most uplifting, active and transformative place I know. All children are precious, but these children who come from families broken by war and economic hardship and other difficult circumstances beyond their control don’t have a chance until Orran notices them, picks them up, and shows them that they matter. They can have goals and dreams and help themselves and others.”
Orran provides daily food and clothing, educational and vocational support, compassion and camaraderie, while building their character and sense of purpose, empowering them to become leaders. The charitable non-governmental organization also serves thousands of uprooted families from Artsakh and reaches impoverished families in the outskirts who have no transportation, ensuring that assistance extends beyond its physical centers in Yerevan and Vanadzor.
Orran Co-Founder Armine Hovannisian painted a compelling and honest picture of Armenia and of the impetus for Orran, which she and her husband, Armenia’s first Foreign Minister Raffi K. Hovannisian, created in 2000.
She reflected, “Armenia is a nation of paradoxes. If you were to visit this magical land and walk through the streets of Yerevan, you would be dazzled by the high-end boutiques and gourmet restaurants, luxurious cars and stylishly dressed residents…. Just a few blocks away, the picture changes, and you are confronted with a country struggling with a 25% poverty rate, thousands of refugees from Artsakh and a growing inflation rate. No doubt, there is a vast and growing gorge between the haves and have-nots, those who are destined to live in comfort and those who struggle everyday. Orran was created to care for and love the children who are on the margins of society and live in despair. We take those children who are abandoned, hungry, begging on the streets, and walk with them on the path of light, goodness, compassion and promise for a better life.”
Hovannisian offered Sveta Hovhannisyan’s story as an example, a teenager whose father abandoned the family, leaving her and her brothers nearly orphaned. But with Orran’s care, Sveta turned her life around, graduating from high school and then from military academies in Armenia and Italy. Sveta is currently earning a master’s degree in Italy, soon to return to Armenia to become a military commander.
Following an video highlighting the experiences and reflections of students from AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School in Los Angeles who spent several weeks volunteering at Orran last summer, the students and their teachers, along with Head of School David Ghoogasian stood before the audience. Applauding the critical work of Orran, Ghoogasian then motioned to the students, exclaiming, “What we see here are not just the future leaders, but the leaders of today, and Orran has given them that vehicle to connect with their homeland and their brothers and sisters. And as much as they are thanked for doing what they do there, they get much more out of it. They come back transformed with lifelong commitments.”
Armenian folk vocalist Hasmik Harutyunyan and an ensemble of Armenian instrumentalists transported the guests with their musical performance to the ancestral Armenian homeland. Sponsor-a-child opportunities allowed guests to learn the stories and dreams of the children they chose to help, many of them from Artsakh.
Orran veterans Jack Barseghian and Henrik Sardarbegian introduced several one-of-a-kind pieces in the evening’s exciting live auction finale, including an autographed weight used and cherished by the first ever World Champion Armenian Weightlifter, Nazik Avdalyan, also the first Armenian woman to become a world champion in any sport. Nazik, likewise a champion of Orran, traveled from Armenia to participate in the evening. Her remarkable story of resilience and strength, recovering from a nearly fatal accident to not only survive, but become a world champion weightlifter is the subject of a new motion picture The Reverse Side of the Medal. Nazik rose to the stage with an impassioned message to the Orran family. She said nothing is more important than sharing her good fortune with those who help others, and in particular, Armine and Orran who have created a haven where children in despair can at last experience joy and thrive. For that reason, she decided to share the very special pair of weights she used on her road to victory…one for the Orran family and one for her to keep at home.
Orran will celebrate its 25th anniversary in Armenia in April of 2025 with a performance by the children of Orran at the Opera House, followed by Orran’s Silver Anniversary Gala in Los Angeles next fall.
