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Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]
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PRESS RELEASE +++ PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Thursday, November 2, 2006
Contact: Lerna Kayserian
Tel: (818) 500-1918
MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA SPECIAL GUEST AT ANCA-WR BANQUET
-Federal, State, and Local Legislators to Attend Gala Event
-Community Leaders to be Honored for Lifetime Activism
Glendale, California – The Armenian National Committee of America –
Western Region (ANCA-WR) is pleased to announce the attendance of
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and a distinguished list
of elected officials at the ANCA-WR Annual Banquet on November 12,
2006 at the Marriott Hotel in Downtown, Los Angeles.
The 2006 Annual Banquet awards ceremony will be emceed by French
Armenian actor Simon Abkarian, who is starring in the next James Bond
movie "Casino Royal" to be released later this month.
Bob Collins, Chief Instructional Officer for Secondary Education
for the Los Angeles Unified School District, will receive the Man
of the Year Award for his leading role in implementing the Armenian
Genocide curriculum in the Los Angeles Unified School District and
providing human rights and genocide education to thousands of high
school students in Los Angeles.
ANCA-WR Activists Khajag Sarkissian and Serge Samoniantz will be
honored with the Vahan Cardashian Award for their years of hard work in
advancing the Armenian Cause. Vahan Cardashian, after whom the award
was named, was the pioneer for American Armenian political action
during the early twentieth century and founded the American Committee
for an Independent Armenia (ACIA), the predecessor to the ANCA.
Attendees of the 2006 Annual Banquet will enjoy the presence of Mayor
Villaraigosa, who will deliver special remarks during the evening’s
program.
Among other elected officials who have confirmed their attendance
are Congressman Adam Schiff, California State Assembly members Cindy
Montanez and Carol Liu, Los Angeles City Councilmember Alex Padilla,
Los Angeles Unified School Board Members Jon Lauritzen, Mike Lansing,
and Julie Korenstein, Glendale City Mayor Rafi Manoukian, Glendale
Unified School District Board member Greg Krikorian, Burbank Unified
School District Board member and Democratic candidate for the 43rd
California Assembly District Paul Krekorian, and retired California
Supreme Court Justice Armand Arabian.
Additional state and local officials will be announced shortly.
"The Annual Banquet will highlight the contributions made towards the
advancement of the Armenian cause throughout the year. We are excited
to honor those who have made 2006 a successful year for Hai Tahd,"
commented Banquet Chairwoman Aida Dimejian.
The ANCA-WR Annual Banquet will be held at the Downtown Marriott Hotel
located on 333 S. Figueroa St. in Los Angeles, California. The banquet
will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail hour and silent auction,
with the formal program beginning at 7:00 p.m. Tickets for the event
are almost sold out.
Community members should reserve their tickets immediately if they are
interested in attending this special event. For more information or
to reserve tickets, please call the ANCA-WR office at (818) 500-1918.
The ANCA is the largest and most influential Armenian American
grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a
network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the United
States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively
advances the concerns of the Armenian-American community on a broad
range of issues.