NEWTOWN SQUARE, Penn. — The Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief (SOAR) was founded in 2005 to provide humanitarian relief to orphaned children and adults with disabilities in Armenia, Javakhk and Lebanon. For nearly two decades, SOAR has played a critical role in addressing child protection issues and the needs of the most vulnerable in the Armenian community. Today, SOAR boasts more than 600 volunteers in 145 Chapters worldwide, supports 35 institutions, including several of its own Centers in Armenia, and has funded $11.6 million in distributions to Armenia, Artsakh, Javakhk and Lebanon.
Week-long SOAR anniversary festivities will begin on February 24,2025 as staff from Armenia visit the US. On Thursday, February 27, SOAR will host a kickoff cocktail reception for Chapter Meetings where many of volunteers will meet each other, and staff and board members, for the first time. Chapter Meetings will take place Friday and Saturday at the Hilton Hotel in Newtown Square.
On March 1, SOAR’s 20th anniversary gala will be held at The Ivy at Ellis Preserve in Newtown Square. For more information, visit soar-us.org/chapter-activity/#gala.
SOAR has three Transitional Centers; one in Gyumri for Young Women, and two in Yerevan, one for Young Women and one for Young Men. The Centers are residential settings for older teenagers who have outgrown the traditional orphanage but who are not yet ready for independent living. The residents go to college; assist with SOAR’s online business; are enriched by SOAR’s academic programs; appreciate volunteerism; learn essential life skills, including home and money management; build self-nurturance and self-confidence; and prepare themselves for emotional, fiscal, and professional independence.
SOAR’s Ada Keshishyants Social Rehabilitation Center for Children with Developmental Disabilities was opened in July 2023. The first of its kind in Vanadzor, the center serves as a non-residential facility for children with developmental, emotional, intellectual, physical, and psychological disabilities in Vanadzor, Armenia.
