4th Annual New England Walkathon Mobilizes Armenian Community

WATERTOWN, Mass.—On Sat., Sept. 26, the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) will hold its 4th annual Walk of Life walkathon in Watertown. The walk will begin at the Armenian Cultural and Educational Center (ACEC) at 47 Nichols Avenue and will end at Watertown’s annual Faire on the Square Festival, a fun-filled end-of-summer event for all ages.

The St. James Armenian Church Team at the 2014 Walk of Life — The St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School Team at the 2014 Walk of Life

The goal of the walk is to raise public awareness as well as funds in support of ABMDR, whose mission it is to fight leukemia and other blood-related disorders by finding stem cell donor matches for those in need of life-saving transplant procedures.

Last year, 23 local organizations formed teams with more than 250 people participating in the 2.2 mile walk, raising $18,000. The event was supported by the Dana Farber Cancer Institute of Boston, a major sponsor of the walkathon since its inception; the Armenian American Pharmacists Association; and Watertown Savings Bank.

“We are excited about the upcoming Walk of Life this fall and hope it is received as enthusiastically by our community organizations as it was in 2014,” said Alvart Badalian, a member of the ABMDR Board. “Just a reminder: You can also participate in the waklkathon virtually as in years before.”

To register or to sponsor a walker, visit www.abmdr.am/ne-walk.

Established in 1999, ABMDR, a non-profit organization, helps 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 more than 22,000 donors in 17 countries across 4 continents; identified 2,135 patients; and facilitated 16 bone marrow transplants.