ANC Burbank honors supporters at its first annual banquet
BURBANK -- On Friday, May 12 2006, more than 250 people attended Armenian National Committee (ANC) Burbank’s First Annual Banquet honoring activists and officials serving the Burbank community (article continues below).
Below are some pictures from the event (Please wait for the first picture to show- thumbnails have to load first):
Some guests of ANC Burbank in attendance, included: Congressman Adam Schiff, Burbank Mayor Todd Campbell, Burbank Council Members Marsha Ramos and David Gordon, Burbank City Manager Mary Alvord, Burbank Fire Chief Tracy Pansini, Burbank Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services Eric Hansen and all five members of the Burbank School Board: Ted Bunch, Larry Applebaum, Debbie Kukta, Dave Kemp and Paul Krekorian.
Paul Krekorian, who is also a candidate for State Assembly in the area, delivered the Keynote address. He called on the members of the Burbank ANC to continue their efforts and praised them for their accomplishments over the past year.
A speech intended specifically for Burbank ANC activists was presented by the group’s chairman, Dr. Arbi Ohanian. Dr. Ohanian praised the activists for finding time to give back to their community, even while dealing with professional and family responsibilities.
Awards were also handed out during the event. Burbank High School students, Ani Khodaverdian and Dalar Abolian, were recognized for an Armenian Genocide Commemoration event they put together in April at their school.
Sharon Cohen, Library Services Director of the City of Burbank, was honored for her contributions to the Armenian Community. She initiated and worked with the ANC Burbank, during the successful Books for Burbank program, which increased the Central Library’s Armenian-related book collection by more than a thousand. Cohen also supported two recent programs sponsored by the ANC Burbank that took place in the Central Library Auditorium: a documentary film screening on the Armenian Genocide and an Armenian cultural event geared toward children.
Also recognized was Ara Boyadjian, who has single-handedly initiated and publicized his Armenian tourism campaign called, Visit Armenia. It is Beautiful.
Mgerdich Boudaghian received a lifetime service award for his service to the Armenian-American community of Burbank.
And, as a final and unexpected award for the evening, Tamar Krekorian was named the Burbank ANC Volunteer of the Year. Over the past couple of years, Tamar has been instrumental in several of the ANC efforts, including: Books for Burbank, workshops in Armenian culture for Burbank teachers, workshops on the Armenian Genocide for teachers and students at John Muir Middle school in Burbank, a book fair & Armenian story time at the Burbank Central Library, the screening of a Genocide documentary at the Burbank library, and in March 2006, she helped organize an Essay and Art contest dealing with the Armenian Genocide.
