CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Cambridge-based Ararat Lodge of the Knights of Vartan (K of V) successfully sent off of its 11th forty-foot container of aid to needy hospitals, medical clinics and schools destined for Armenia’s villages on the international border with Azerbaijan in the Tavush region. The shipment, valued at $204,000, is expected to arrive in Armenia by early April.
This container consists primarily of equipment and supplies from a training school for technicians that went out of business. Thanks to the generosity of the Atinizian family, the entire inventory of equipment and supplies of this training school was donated to the K of V for delivery to Armenia.
Major items include over 60 slightly used computers and computer accessories, a dental suite complete with dental chair and dental x-ray, dental cabinets, dental supplies/tools; equipment and supplies for a dental prosthetics laboratory; hospital beds and patient exam table; and other medical supplies, devices and equipment.
Also included are two blood-saver machines for the Arabkir Joint Medical Center Hospital in Yerevan for use by the hospital’s well-known pediatric orthopedic surgeon Dr. Garen Koloyan and his colleagues in the operating room to recover blood lost by patients during surgery and to recycle it back to them. These blood-saver machines along with medical supplies were donated by the Massachusetts General Hospital through the efforts of Dr. Nishan Goudsouzian and Dr. Hovig Chitilian.
A dedicated team of K of V volunteers has been working on this project for the past six months, first of all removing the equipment and supplies from an office location to a warehouse of a devoted member of the Knights of Vartan, Aurelian Mardiros. Next step was sorting, recording, palletizing and packing at the warehouse. The team of volunteers is headed by Jack Medzorian, program director of the Knights’ Ararat Lodge Armenia Medical Aid Program, assisted by Ararat Lodge members Sarkis Gennetian, Aurelian Mardiros and Dr. Nishan Goudsouzian, a long-time major donor of medical equipment/supplies for Armenia. Other team members include Vartan Mardiros, Gary Mardiros, Krikor Shaboyan, Haig Deranian, Paul Boghosian, Edward Shooshanian, Charles Guleserian, Nigoghos Atinizian, Greg Yergatian, George Boole and Judy Khachadourian. Testing of the computers was donated by Alfred Demirjian, proprietor of the firm Techfusion, Inc., a leader in computer data recovery. Launching of the container from the Beverley, MA warehouse was followed by a customary prayer led by Sarkis Gennetian blessing the container and wishing a safe voyage and arrival at destination to serve the needs of brothers, sisters and their families in Armenia.
