WATERTOWN, Mass.—Recently, two fundraisers were held on Facebook to benefit the construction of a new multimedia studio on the fourth floor of the Hairenik building in Watertown. Over the course of two months and the birthdays of Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Eastern Region Central Committee chair George Aghjayan and former Armenian Weekly editor Georgi-Ann Bargamian Oshagan, 140 people generously donated more than $18,000 to the Armenian Cultural Association of America Inc. (ACAA) for this worthy cause. “The new studio will enable production of audio and video content serving the needs of the Armenian American community,” said Aghjayan, explaining that the project is estimated to cost well over 100-thousand dollars to be raised through a number of initiatives.
Both Aghjayan and Bargamian Oshagan had never held birthday fundraisers on Facebook prior to this, but they had noticed the trend on the social media platform and decided to utilize it for the media center. “I’ve chosen to help ACAA kick off the important first step for this project because now – more than ever – a modern space is needed to amplify and broaden the collective voice and reach of the ARF, ARS [Armenian Relief Society], AYF [Armenian Youth Federation], Homenetmen and Hamazkayin all headquartered at the Hairenik,” stated Bargamian Oshagan when kicking off the fundraiser. Her goal, which was exceeded by several hundred dollars, was to raise enough funds to cover the quoted cost of the electrical work for the media center.
Donations may be made to the ACAA either online or by mailing a check to 80 Bigelow Avenue, Watertown, MA 02472 with “Media Center” in the memo section. The Armenian Cultural Association of America Inc (ACAA) is a 501(c)(3) that sponsors cultural and educational projects including grants to the Hairenik Association. The Hairenik Association produces newspapers, periodicals, books and cutting edge digital content in both English and Armenian. Its publications include the oldest running Armenian newspaper in the world (since 1899) and the English language Armenian Weekly, which has a weekly online readership of tens of thousands. All donations to the ACAA are tax deductible.
Aghjayan and Bargamian Oshagan expressed sincere appreciation to all those who generously donated to their fundraisers, making their birthdays even more meaningful knowing that the Hairenik Media Center is closer to becoming a reality.
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