Mr. and Mrs. Garo and Alice Gureghian (center) are flanked by community leaders and the Prelate following the ribbon cutting ceremony
FRESNO—A capacity crowd of more than 400 community members gathered Saturday for the grand re-opening of the Fresno Armenian Center, which was rechristened as the Garo and Alice Gureghian Armenian Cultural Center, after a generous donation from the couple.
Mr. and Mrs. Gureghian were on hand and ushered community leaders in the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which kicked off the evening’s festivities to celebrate this milestone.
The son of late Asbarez editor Melik-Shah, Garo Gureghian and his wife Alice announced a donation of $300,000 in 2014 to the Fresno Armenian Community Center—the Asbarez Center.
A part of the donation was used for much-needed renovations to the center, which has been the heartbeat of the Fresno community for generations and housed the Asbarez editorial offices, when the newspaper was published in Fresno. Another part of the sum was bequeathed to the Fresno Center for future projects.
During Saturday’s event, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s Fresno Tehlirian Gomideh chairman Khatchig Havatian welcomed the community members to the newly refurbished facility. Speaking on the behalf of the ARF Western US Central Committee was its chairman Daron Der-Khachadourian, while Tehlirian Gomideh member Raffi Chekherdemian spoke in English and invited elected officials to present proclamations on this occasion. Also in attendance was Western Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian who blessed the new center and took part in the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Asbarez will have complete coverage of the event in its future editions. The Asbarez family is proud that the son of one of its influential editors, Melik-Shah (1949-52, 1969-1970), has taken such a generous step, which will ensure the continued growth and enhancement of the Fresno Armenian community.
Source: Asbarez
Link: Hundreds Gather for Unveiling of Fresno Armenian Center