The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s latest Pan-European Phoneathon, which took place from November 15 to 18, has secured more than 1,425,000 euros in pledges.
The fund’s French affiliate has raised 1,220,250 euros; the German affiliate, 96,504 euros; the Swiss affiliate, 25,000 euros; the Netherlands affiliate, 46,000 euros; the Belgian affiliate, 8,000 euros; and the Greek affiliate, 30,000 euros. More than 13,500 individuals and organizations have made donations in response to the Phoneathon.
The fund’s French affiliate has announced that contributions are still being made, with the fundraising tally continually being refreshed on the affiliate’s site (www.fondsarmenien.net). The total amount raised through the Phoneathon will be announced during the fund’s 2012 Telethon, which will be broadcast live from Los Angeles on Thanksgiving Day,November 22.
During the four days of the Phoneathon, some 750 volunteers operated phone banks in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, and Toulouse. They called Armenian households and businesses across Europe, requesting financial support for building community centers in Artsakh, boosting agriculture in Armenia’s Tavush Region, and providing urgent relief to the Syrian-Armenian community.
Held under the slogan “Let’s be champions of solidarity,” the Phoneathon featured two celebrity hosts as its godfathers: French soccer star Youri Raffi Djorkaeff, and France TÈlÈvisions sports programming director Daniel Bilalian.
“Featuring renowned public figures as event godfathers is already a wonderful hallmark of the Phoneathon,” said Bedros Terzian, chairman of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s French affiliate. “They not only host the Phoneathon’s opening and closing ceremonies, but inspire our donors throughout the four days of the campaign, doubtless helping optimize its results.”
“Despite the current economic and political uncertainty in Europe, and especially Greece, pledges made during Phoneathon 2012 represent an up to 8-percent increase over last year’s returns,” Terzian continued. “To us, this fact once again indicates that a sense of kinship and a spirit of mutual support remain abiding and cherished values for the worldwide Armenian community.”
Apart from the Phoneathon, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s affiliates in the Western U.S.,Montreal,Toronto,Germany,SwedenandBritainhave held various fundraising events of their own in recent months. Donations made through these initiatives will be included in the total amount raised by the worldwide fund during 2012, and announced at the conclusion of the upcoming Telethon.
