BOSTON — On Saturday, September 12, the Armenian Women’s Welfare Association (AWWA) celebrated its 100th anniversary gala at the historic Boston Public Library. Nearly 200 people gathered in the outdoor courtyard to celebrate 100 years of service by a long history of volunteer Armenian women. The setting was magical.
The program began with AWWA President Brenda Khederian addressing the audience with a brief history of the organization and its accomplishments throughout the last century. She spoke about the founders of the AWWA and about the progression from the Home for the Aged to the Armenian Nursing Home to the present facility, the Armenian Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (ANRC).
The master of ceremonies, Peter Koutoujian, sheriff of Middlesex Country, expressed deep appreciation to the AWWA for the excellence of the Armenian Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
Karla Fleming, the executive director of the ANRC spoke about the center being a leading nursing home in the state.
Board members JoAnn Janjigian and Annie Youssoufian spoke about their recent trip to the Hanganak NGO clinic in Stepanakert, Nagorno Karabagh, and their meetings with the beneficiaries. Hanganak is a health clinic that assists 200 elderly residents who live alone and have no other means of support or income. AWWA has provided medical assistance to them for the last 11 years.
The special guest for the evening was Eric Bogosian, a celebrated actor, playwright and author, who spoke about the long history of Armenians helping each other during times of need. He also spoke about his recent book, Operation Nemesis.