ANC Glendale Sets New Record of First Time Donors at 6th Annual Blood Drive
April 19, 2011

The Armenian National Committee – Glendale Chapter drew a record number of contributors at its Sixth Annual Blood Drive held on Sunday, April 17, 2011 at K&M Karamanoukian, Glendale Youth Center.  Organized in collaboration with the City of Glendale -Week of Remembrance Committee, Homenetmen Ararat, AYF Glendale Chapter and the American Red Cross, the blood drive was held in honor of the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide.  All blood units collected will be forwarded to local hospitals such as Glendale Memorial and Glendale Adventist.

“Parallel to our commitment in keeping the memory of the 1.5 milllion Armenians massacred during the Genocide of 1915 alive, civic participation and giving back to the community is an extremely high priority at ANC Glendale,” commented Elen Asatryan, Executive Director of ANC Glendale Chapter. “ANCG, along with its partners, is grateful to all the community members who have helped make our annual blood drive a staple in the city of Glendale, saving over a 1,000 lives in the past six years,” added Asatryan.  

While over 25 people were unfortunately turned away due to various reasons, the blood collected during the drive will help over 150 patients in the region. Several volunteers were on hand to provide food and refreshments for all donors to help offset the occasional dizziness experienced by blood donors.

Blood donors reproduce the donated amount of blood within a day and all donors were encouraged to rest and eat healthy in order to promote blood production.

“The ANC Blood drive surpassed its own previous record breaking numbers for the most first time donors we have received through any blood drive.  It was amazing to see that more than half the donors, were first timers,”  commented Sherry Nikrik, Senior Account Manager of the American Red Cross  “   We look forward to working with ANC again to provide the much needed blood supply to local hospitals,” added Nikrik.

Some key members of the community that supported the event included Glendale Mayor Laura Friedman, Glendale City Clerk Ardashes Kassakhian, Executives of ANC Western Region, ANC Burbank, Homenetmen Ararat and AYF.

Known as the first genocide of the 20th century, the Armenian Genocide resulted in the mass murder of 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks.  While the Armenian Genocide is widely recognized throughout the world and among international bodies, Turkey continues to deny its role in the Armenian Genocide and instead promotes false propaganda. 

The American Red Cross provides nearly half of the nation’s blood supply (collecting more than 6 million units a year from volunteer donors) to patients in 3,000 hospitals across the country through its national network. Every two seconds, someone in America needs blood. The Red Cross must collect blood donations each and every day to meet the needs of accident victims, cancer patients and children with blood disorders, and the organization works to accomplish this through its 36 Blood Services regions.

The Armenian National Committee-Glendale Chapter advocates for the social, economic, cultural, and political rights of the city's Armenian-American community and promotes increased civic participation at the grassroots and public policy levels.

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