The Armenian-Canadian Council held its 3rd annual fundraising gala on April 28th, the purpose of which is to highlight the achievements of an Armenian-Canadian on the national scene. This year’s honoree was Armine Yalnizyan, a prominent economist who is vocal about class disparities in national media.
The evening began with a cocktail, attended by elected officials and representatives from municipal, provincial and federal levels, as well as members of various organizations. Last year’s honoree, the Honorable Raymond Setlakwe, was also present. Artur Margossian set a pleasant mood with a number of classics on the piano.
Over the course of the evening, Magda Popeanu, City councilor of Côte-des-Neiges and Vice-President of the Executive Committee, and Emmanuella Lambropoulos, MP for Ville-St-Laurent, addressed guests and thanked the Armenian community for always being involved and active members of Canadian society.
The award, a work of art By Armenian artist Michael Aram entitled “Noah’s Ark” and featuring Mount Ararat, was presented to Mrs. Yalnizyan by Aïda Karibian, co-founder and board member of the ACC, who highlighted its symbolic value.
When accepting the award, Armine Yalnizyan spoke to the emotional week Armenians had: peaceful protests in Armenia culminating in Serzh Sargsyan’s resignation, the attack in Toronto perpetrated by Alec Minassian, proof that even Armenians are fallible, and the commemoration of the 103rd year since the Armenian genocide began. She spoke of her Armenian identity being at the core of her work, and that her background and her grandparents’ experiences have taught her to “leave no one behind,” imploring guests to make a donation to help the young Sri-Lankan boy orphaned during the attack in Toronto (donations can be made here: https://www.gofundme.com/helpdiyontoday). It was clear that Mrs. Yalnizyan’s speech resonated with the guests, who warmly applauded her, and many of whom took the time to interct with her at evening’s end.
The ACC is currently accepting suggestions for award recipients for upcoming years.
