TELETHON 2009 TONIGHT
armradio.am
26.11.2009 11:02
Hayastan All Armenian Fund’s International Fundraising Telethon
will air on Shant, Armenia and H1-Armenian Public Television on
November 26, 8 pm -8am. Airing live from Los Angeles, Telethon
2009 will reach every continent, entering Armenian homes through
satellite, cable and internet means. The telethon will be web-cast
on
More than 20,000 residents of Armenia have already made their
contributions to Hayastan All Armenian Fund. The post offices of
HayPost have already received more than 13 000 cash donations. More
than 500 organizations and individuals have made bank transfers. Some
people prefer to make their donations in the Fund’s Executive Board
office. More than 7 thousand subscribers of VivaCell-MTS used the new
donation tool – one of the innovations of this year’s fundraising
effort, and donated funds via their mobile phones. Only for the
subscribers of VivaCell-MTS, three short numbers are introduced
from the beginning of October till the end of November. Interested
individuals can have their input in the all Armenian fundraising effort
by sending a blank SMS message to the following numbers: 5555 (which
stands for 200 AMD donation), 5556 (600 AMD donation) and 5557 (1000
AMD donation, all including VAT). Even at this point, it can be stated
that never before, in its more than 17 year history, has the Fund
registered such massive grassroots participation throughout Armenia.
The motto of this year’s fundraising effort is Our Shishi. The logo
of the Telethon is the Angel of Artsakh. Mr. Edik Balaian, the artist
of the 2009 Telethon logo offered his brief remarks regarding the
concept of the logo and the choice of colors. He mentioned that the
idea of the logo is distinctly from the prominent symbol depicted on
the bell tower of the St. Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi.
"Hayastan All Armenian Fund is not a political organization, our
mission is to serve as a uniting bridge between Armenians around the
world and combine their efforts to reconstruct and strengthen Armenia
and Artsakh. If you think about it, this is the most practical way of
fulfilling our "azgayin tourk" – national giving, a concept that is
at the heart of "Hayastan" All-Armenian Fund. According to my modest
calculations, there are currently around 10 million Armenians living
around the world. If every single person gives a dollar a month, that
makes it close to $120 million a year. Think about it when you watch
the Telethon this Thanksgiving Day, November 26", said Ara Vardanyan,
Executive Director of Hayastan All Armenian Fund.
The Telethon will feature an impressive line up of Armenian music and
dance, as well as video segments telling about the Fund’s projects and
the life of people of Armenia and Karabakh. The Telethon 2009 song
"We and our Mountains" /Menq Enq Mer Sarery/ will be performed by
Anush and Inga Arshakyans. The song has already become popular among
young Armenians and will hopefully motivate people to bring their
input and help make a difference in the lives of people of Shushi.