The spring season is beautiful. The snow has melted, the tulips are blooming and the days are getting longer and warmer, giving us renewed hope of better days ahead. But we cannot forget the past. The last 12 months have been difficult for our nation. We faced several major challenges: The Lebanese economic crisis, which was exacerbated by the explosions that rocked Beirut; the ominous escalation of COVID-19 cases and the ensuing health and economic problems; and worst of all, the third Artsakh war and the accompanying loss of land and the carnage of thousands of lost lives and wounded soldiers.
The Armenian Missionary Association of Canada (AMAC) community courageously rose to the occasion. The Board, members and volunteers responded to these crises and donated their time and efforts in compassionate acts of generosity.
Backpacks from Montreal
The backpack project started with an idea, turned into a mission and ended up being a very successful project, thanks to the Armenian community of Montreal. Hundreds of families brought toys, school supplies and warm clothing to fill 1,100 backpacks. Dozens of volunteers worked around the clock to sort the gifts, put them in backpacks, package them in cartons and fill up the container which was parked in the First Armenian Evangelical Church parking lot. Some people who were not able to buy gifts provided monetary donations which allowed the organizing committee to make the purchases on their behalf. To fill the remaining space of the 40’ container, ARDENE generously donated 450 boxes of new clothing.
These backpacks and items of clothing were recently distributed to the children and families of remote villages in Armenia and Artsakh including Kornidzor, Tegh, Karashen, Vorotan, Shurnukh and Bardzravan, putting a much-needed smile on their faces.
Clothing and Supplies from Toronto
When the Artsakh war started, the Armenian community of Toronto came together to fill up 2 containers with warm clothing, shoes, comforters, medical and other supplies. The first container arrived in Artsakh during the war and the supplies were distributed to the soldiers and their families. The second container recently arrived and the contents were distributed to families in Khnatsakh, Khozavar, Vaghatour and other neighbouring villages.
Relief boxes packed in Toronto to be shipped to Artsakh.
Minibuses
Two Mercedes-Benz Sprinter minibuses were also shipped from Toronto to Armenia, thanks to the generosity of Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia in Toronto and Armenian Canadian philanthropist Varoujan Lapoyan, and Raffi Tokmakjian, President of Tok Group.
Mercedes-Benz Minibus loaded with AMAC boxes arrives in Yerevan.
One of the minibuses was allocated to the AMAA’s Khoren and Shooshanig Avedisian School in Yerevan and it is already in use. The second one is being used by the AMAA social workers for transportation between Yerevan and other cities in Armenia and Artsakh.
Besides these projects, the AMAC also organized many other fundraising activities both in Montreal and Toronto and contributed more than CAD$120,000 for various programs in Armenia and Lebanon.
We want to thank everyone who partnered with us in this noble mission of helping our brothers and sisters around the world.
To learn more about the AMAC’s mission and outreach programs, please visit www.amacnews.org
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Raffi Shnorhokian
AMAC President/CEO
