8th Annual Little Armenia Beautification Project to be Held on Saturday, May 7th

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: May 4, 2011

Contact: Maria Maadanian ~ (213) 434-0716

Hundreds of Armenian Youth from all over California are expected to hit the streets and revamp Little Armenia, Hollywood

HOLLYWOOD, CA—For the eighth consecutive year, the Armenian Youth Federation is mobilizing the youth throughout California for a massive one-day effort to beautify the streets of Little Armenia in Hollywood.
On May 7th, the 8th Annual Little Armenia Beatification Project will take place beginning in the courtyard of the Rose and Alex Pilibos High School on Saturday morning. Hundreds of volunteers are expected to take part in this year’s Project.

The event, organized by the AYF’s Hollywood “Musa Dagh” Chapter, is put together in conjunction with Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti’s office, as well as the office of California State Assemblyman Kevin de Leon, to help revitalize the streets of this densely populated district of East Los Angeles. The AYF took on the project after the official designation of Littler Armenia in 2000, as it is home to more Armenian-Americans than any other area in America.

“This community is home to many Armenian-Americans within the Los Angeles area, and it is our duty, as the youth, to clean and beautify these streets,” says Hollywood AYF member Azniv Khararjian. “We view this area as our home away from home, which is why we organize this event every year.”

Over the past 8 years, according to the Los Angeles Sanitation Department estimates, the Project has been resulted in the collection of more than 25,000 pounds of trash. The City of Los Angeles has been a great support of the event, through Councilmember Garcetti’s office, as all the supplies, including, rakes, brooms, shovels, and garbage bags are donated by the City.

Aside from cleaning up Little Armenia, the project also seeks to unify Armenian youth from local and surrounding neighborhoods around common goals and a shared community.

“The Little Armenia Beautification Project is an opportunity for us, as youth, to come together and give back to the Armenian community, as well as the Hollywood community as a whole,” said AYF Central Executive member Vache Thomassian. “As Armenian-Americans, we must take ownership of this special part of Hollywood and make sure that is a cleaner, more beautiful area for people to live.”

Founded in 1933, the Armenian Youth Federation is the largest and most influential Armenian American youth organization in the United States, working to advance the social, political, educational and cultural awareness of Armenian-American youth.

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