Armenian Relief Society Donates To VIC Bushfire Appeal

The Victorian Bushfires over February were devastating, with searing heat and dry conditions destroying cities, homes and farms; registering hundreds of mortalities and leaving thousands of people without homes.

As the crisis unfolded, ARS Australia immediately embarked on a campaign to raise funds for the victims of the bushfire. This involved door to door collections, food drives, collections via community radio and donations received in person at the Armenian Cultural Centre in Willoughby. The campaign culminated in this week’s announcement that ARS Australia had handed all its collections to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal.

Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) Community Relations Officer, Mr. Stephen Abolakian, thanked the ARS Regional Committee for their initiative to raise funds for the victims of the Victorian Bushfires.

He said: “ARS Australia's aid to the people of Australia reciprocates the generosity of the Australian people who had provided assistance to Armenians both during the devastating Armenian Earthquake in 1988 and in the years immediately following the Armenian Genocide.”

The Armenian Relief Society is the oldest Armenian women's organisation, established in 1910 in New York City. Since its foundation, the ARS has provided educational and humanitarian assistance to people in need throughout the world. Today, the ARS has entities in 24 countries including Australia where members of the Society contribute to their communities and the larger world for the betterment of all humankind.