Realizing Homenetmen’s Promise

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.—The Homenetmen Walnut Creek Gars chapter’s scout families gathered on Sunday July 22 to celebrate accomplishments of the scouts over the past year. On this day there was much to celebrate.

Walnut Creek is a city about 35 miles northeast of San Francisco. There are wonderful public schools, plenty of extracurricular activities, and beautiful natural resources for outdoor activities. But, for Armenian youth there was something missing—“Unity.” The nearest Homenetmen chapter and Armenian everyday school is 35 miles away while the nearest Armenian Church is 25 miles away.

Armenian spirit is a constant struggle for parents and community leaders, knowing that Homenetmen Keeps the youth Armenian and teaches them to be resilient and brave, patriotic, law-abiding and disciplined, fostering in them a sense of duty, an awareness of responsibility, honor, a spirit of harmony and mutual service, and fills their hearts and minds with the noblest spirit of sports. In 2000 a group of determined Homenetmen members founded the third Homenetmen chapter in the San Francisco Bay Area in Walnut Creek and named it “Gars” Chapter.

For last few years Gars Chapter is experiencing a period of growth. The chapter currently has 30 scouts and works hard to teach them all that Homenetmen has to offer. During the ceremony eight new scouts took their scout oaths while eight others received certificates for passing various scout tests, badges and leadership ranks; three scouts and girl scouts received their first rank. Homenetmen’s diverse scouting programs offer opportunities for young and old. While the younger scouts celebrate their first steps in scouting life, the older scouts and leaders were honored for further educating themselves and earning the much coveted Religious and Nationalistic Merit Badges sponsored by Homenetmen’s Regional Scout Council.

During the closing, Armineh Jamgojian WC Gars Chairwoman took time to honor and bid farewell to the Chapter’s scout leader Kooyr Nirvana Balian. Kooyr Nirvana has been a member of Gars since the year 2000 when the chapter was found and has grown-up in Homenetmen scouting since the age of ten. She has led the chapter’s scouts for the last three years and is leaving to pursue her education at the University of Hawaii. Jamgojian then invited Shehen Aghababian Regional Executive Member in northern Californian to add his remarks. During his speech, Aghababian congratulated all the scouts for their accomplishments, and reminded them that their knowledge needs to be passed on to younger generation. He concluded his remarks by thanking and encouraging the WC Executive committee for their hard work and all the parents for their ongoing support throughout the year and especially during 37th Navasartian games and closing ceremony.

This wonderful event was concluded with Pot-luck party organized by parents’ committee.

From youngest to oldest Homenetmen’s promise was realized.