LOS ANGELES — On Saturday, October 4, close to 400 supporters converged on the plaza of the Glendale City building, in Glendale, to participate in the 20th annual Walk of Life, the walkathon of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR).
With its uplifting message of solidarity and hope, the event drew broad community support and enthusiastic youth participation. In addition to individual teams of walkers, there were several teams representing local schools and universities, including the USC Armenian Students’ Association (ASA), Glendale City College ASA/Nursing Club, AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School, Ferrahian High School, Providence High School, and Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School. Other teams walking to benefit ABMDR’s life-saving mission represented various community organizations and businesses.
During the opening ceremony, remarks were delivered by Walkathon Committee co-chairs Medik Aghbalian and Khachig Boghossian. “The mission of our organization is to provide matched donors to those who suffer from life-threatening blood-related illnesses and whose last hope of survival is to have a stem-cell transplant,” Boghossian said. “Toward this goal, we have recruited over 33,500 donors in 32 countries, and facilitated 44 bone marrow transplants to date, all thanks to our communities and dedicated volunteers.”
Boghossian acknowledged the presence of community leaders and elected officials at the event, among them California Sen. Sasha Renee Perez.
Boghossian also acknowledged some of the top teams participating in the walkathon, including Team Arpz (Arpine Zohrabyan); Providence High School, led by Sona Ashjian; the AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School Cancer Awareness Team, led by Dr. Evelyn Baghdasarian; the Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School Team; and the Ferrahian High School Team, led by Sanahine Chahinian.
In her remarks, Aghbalian thanked the walkathon’s sponsors, including major sponsors.
