LOS ANGELES—Over 350 supporters gathered at the plaza of the Glendale City building, in Glendale, California, on October 7 to participate in the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry’s 18th annual Walk of Life walkathon. The pan-Armenian event, which benefited ABMDR’s life-saving mission, was of extraordinary significance this year, as it was dedicated to the people of Artsakh.
With a life-affirming message of solidarity and hope, and held in a festive community atmosphere, Walk of Life drew strong youth participation. In addition to individual teams of walkers, there were teams representing local schools, among them Providence High School and West Coast University.
During the opening ceremony, remarks were delivered by Walkathon Committee co-chairs Dr. Christina Garabedian and Hratch Postik.
Walkathon Committee co-chairs Hratch Postik and Dr. Christina Garabedian. Photo by Aleko Boghoskhanian / ABMDR
Garabedian welcomed the attendees and acknowledged the presence of community leaders and elected officials, including California State Senator Anthony Portantino and Glendale City Council member Ardy Kassakhian.
“Thank you all for being believers in our organization,” Garabedian said. “Our mission is simple: to save lives all over the world.”
Garabedian went on to thank the walkathon’s sponsors, including Foundation Lab, the event’s major sponsor; as well as Softline Solutions; Paulette Melekian; Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger; Print On All; DJ Eddy O; Dr. Vergine Madelian, who had donated her own creations of hand-made Christmas ornaments and cards; Faith in Angels Hospice; RaMa Drugs; and Aleko Boghoskhanian, who, as an ABMDR volunteer, has been photographing the walkathon for many years.
As Garabedian added, walkathon participants were provided with pastries donated by Porto’s Bakery, coffee and cookies donated by McDonald’s, and ice cream donated by Tamara Ice Cream.
In his remarks, Walkathon co-chair Hratch Postik said, “We are a 100-percent volunteer organization. We depend on the dedication of our volunteers, and would love to welcome new volunteers into our ranks to be able to continue to fulfill our mission.” Postik went on to acknowledge the many volunteers who, as members of the Walkathon Committee, had helped organize the event.
Fathers Zareh Sarkissian (left) and Zaven Markosyan performing the event’s invocation. Photo by Aleko Boghoskhanian / ABMDR
“It’s due to fundraising events such as this that we are able to move the mission of ABMDR forward,” Garabedian said. “Currently our organization has over 33,500 potential bone marrow donors in 44 countries, and has facilitated 40 bone marrow transplants.”
The walkathon’s invocation was performed by Fathers Zaven Markosyan of the Western Diocese and Zareh Sarkissian of the Western Prelacy.
Next to address the attendees was ABMDR’s co-founder and president, Dr. Frieda Jordan, who said, “Last week, we lost a major part of our homeland, our beloved Artsakh, and close to 120,000 of our compatriots were forcibly displaced from their millennia-old birthplace, becoming refugees. Among them are a great many of our own bone marrow donors and patients.”
ABMDR president Dr. Frieda Jordan. Photo by Aleko Boghoskhanian / ABMDR Senator Anthony Portantino, a longtime supporter, presented Dr. Frieda Jordan with a Certificate of Recognition on behalf of the California Senate. Photo by Aleko Boghoskhanian / ABMDR
“Today,” Dr. Jordan continued, “we’d like to say to the world, and our community, that we are going to walk very strong, very tall, in honor of all our people, in honor of our donors and patients across the globe.”
As she concluded her remarks, Dr. Jordan said, “I’d like to invite our very good friend and our very dear honorary Armenian, Senator Anthony Portantino, to say a few words.”
As he came to the podium, Portantino said, “We send our love and prayers to the 120,000 refugees who were displaced from their homes in Artsakh. I love ABMDR, and thank you all for participating in today’s walk and helping save lives.”
Subsequently Portantino presented Dr. Jordan with a Certificate of Recognition on behalf of the California Senate. “I’m pleased to congratulate you for your passion and your vision on the occasion of the 18th annual Walk of Life,” Portantino said.
Prior to the start of the walkathon, Garabedian recognized young brothers Sevan and Aren Barkhoudarian as the team that had raised the most funds; the Providence High School team as the one that had the most participants, thanks to the encouragement of Mrs. Sona Ashjian and Miss Janet Fontaine; and Team Arpine Zohrabyan and West Coast University as another top fundraising team.
Following the ribbon-cutting, the 5-K walk-run looped through central Glendale. The walkathon concluded at the plaza of the Glendale City building, where the festivities continued into the day. The event also gave participants the opportunity to join ABMDR as potential bone marrow stem cell donors, as volunteers were on hand to answer questions and welcome new recruits.
Established in 1999, ABMDR, a nonprofit organization, helps Armenians and non-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 over 33,500 donors in 44 countries across four continents, identified over 9,000 patients, and facilitated 40 bone marrow transplants. For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit the website.