NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – A generation after they disbanded their Merrimack Valley Otyag, the Daughters of Vartan hope to return soon to Merrimack Valley in Massachusetts. In 1972, under the leadership of Sylvia Tavitian, there was a thriving Otyag. Still, since it does not exist, those members have gone to Worcester (Santoukht #5) and Boston (Arpie #9). With a Merrimack Valley Lodge, it hopes to increase the sisterhood in this area.
A special open house will be held on Sunday, November 7, 2021, at 3 pm, at North Andover Masonic Lodge, 19 Johnson Street, North Andover, MA. The open house will feature Grand Matron or Avak Dirouhie Gloria Korkoian, the National Chairwomen of the Daughters of Vartan. She will be flying in from Michigan for the event.
Susan Hazarvartian, not yet a Daughters of Vartan member, is taking the lead to organize this event in hopes of re-establishing an Otyag in Merrimack Valley. Her great-uncle, Bishop Papken Guleserian, was one of the founders of The Knights of Vartan. Ironically, her husband, Kim Eric Hazarvartian, is the current Commander of Arakadz #35 in Merrimack Valley. She exclaimed: “We need an Otyag in this growing Armenian community, where we can build sisterhood and do so much.”
The Dessert/Coffee Open House will give prospective Daughters of Vartan a chance to ask questions and learn more about how this organization has done so much to preserve our Armenian Culture and Heritage. Current New England Daughters of Vartan members will also be present along with Yn. Patricia Buttero, the Daughters of Vartan New England Grand District Representative. Together, Grand Matron Korkoian and Grand District Rep. Buttero will introduce prospective members to the Daughters of Vartan and its mission and also answer questions. The Daughters of Vartan was established in 1933 and currently has 18 Chapters or Otyags throughout the United States of America.
Come and bring all your Christian women friends, 18 years and older to learn more and get acquainted with this organization. See you November 7, 2021. If you have any questions, or are unable to attend, but are interested in learning more, please call Susan Hazarvartian at 617 413 5549 or email Hazarvartian@TeppLLc.com.
