September 1, 2004

Young Activists Raise Funds for ATP

This past summer, a group of enthusiastic young Armenian-Americans from the Watertown area organized a lemonade stand to benefit Armenia Tree Project (ATP). The children set up the stand outside of Rainbow Day Care, where they sold snacks and drinks to parents and passersby from the neighborhood.

The children in the picture are (L to R) Saro Safian, Araz Chiloyan, Garo Safian, Sipan Chiloyan, and Kevork Atinizian (not pictured: Antranig Atinizian).

Their sign reads: “We are selling lemonade so we can raise money to plant trees in Armenia because there are no forests.” The photo was provided to ATP by parents Nigoghos and Rosette Atinizian, who visited the ATP nursery in the village of Karin, Armenia earlier in the summer.

“This effort illustrates very clearly why ATP is dedicating itself to environmental education in Armenia, because it is often the youth who have the inspiration to work toward protecting our environment,” stated ATP Deputy Director Jason Sohigian. “And we are thrilled when young people visit our tree nurseries with their families or on group trips such as the one organized by St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School of Watertown this past May.”

Altogether, they raised $100 for ATP to plant trees in Armenia. “We were so pleased to find out that the Armenian children in Watertown are doing their part to help support ATP’s efforts to reforest Armenia,” stated ATP Executive Committee member Moorad Mooradian. “The question now is, are the rest of us doing our part?”

"The history of each Armenian is connected with the Tsitsernakaberd complex.
When people come here they remember their ancestors," Barseghyan explained.
"I am grateful to ATP and its founder, Carolyn Mugar, for the great work
being done here."

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