Gala to Celebrate ABMDR Crystal Anniversary

A scene from last year’s Gala: California State Senator Carol Liu (second from right) flanked by Dr. Sevak Avagyan and Dr. Frieda Jordan of ABMDR.

Guests of Honor include former First Lady Bella Kocharian, community leaders, and elected officials

LOS ANGELES—“Match for Life,” the annual Gala of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR), will celebrate the 15th anniversary of the organization’s founding. The jubilant community event will take place on the evening of Sunday, August 10, 2014, at the Glendale Hilton, in Glendale, California.

Former First Lady of Armenia Bella Kocharian, MD.

The hundreds of supporters in attendance will include community leaders, elected officials, and representatives of various community and health organizations, with guests of honor including former First Lady and ABMDR Honorary Chair Bella Kocharian, MD, among several others.

“Our crystal-anniversary Gala is a wonderful opportunity to share with our supporters 15 years of achievements, and to renew our commitment to a truly unique mission of helping save Armenian lives,” said Dr. Frieda Jordan, president of ABMDR, and continued: “The Gala also gives us a chance to publicly recognize all those outstanding individuals — including our founders, Board members, volunteers, and lifetime supporters — as well as institutions that have made ABMDR what it is today.”

During the event, special crystal-anniversary awards will be presented to several individuals, in recognition of their extraordinary support of the registry’s life-saving mission. The award recipients will include church leaders, ABMDR founders and Board members, volunteers, and lifetime supporters.

The “Match for Life” Gala will begin with a cocktail hour and silent auction prior to dinner, and will feature several musical performances. The event’s Master of Ceremonies will be ABMDR Chairperson Mark Geragos, Esq.

For tickets and additional information, call Amy: (818) 919-2686, Hilda: (626) 695-9899, Naz: (818) 399-6060, Salpy: (622) 260-4000, or the ABMDR office: (323) 663-3609. You can also email your request to abmdrla@sbcglobal.net.

A scene from last year’s Gala: from left, Mark Geragos, Esq., Archbishop Hovnan Derderian of the Western Diocese, and Father Vazken Atmajian of the Western Prelacy.

Established in 1999, ABMDR, a nonprofit organization, helps Armenians and non-Armenians worldwide survive life-threatening blood-related illnesses by recruiting and matching donors to those requiring bone marrow stem cell transplants. To date, the registry has recruited over 26,000 donors in 20 countries across four continents, identified 2,481 patients, and facilitated 20 bone marrow transplants.

For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit abmdr.am.