Backpacks Destined for Sister City

In the 12 years since a devastating earthquake shook up the lives of residents in northwest Armenia, Thousand Oaks has continued to lend a helping hand.

Thousand Oaks has had a sister-city relationship with Spitak, Armenia, for about 10 years. During that time, the city has sent tens of thousands of dollars worth of housing supplies and office supplies and raised about $30,000 to help rebuild a destroyed apartment complex, said Alan Roubik, president of the 12-member nonprofit Sister City Committee.

The committee’s next goal is to send 3,400 backpacks filled with school supplies to children in Spitak by next fall, part of its adopt-a-school program. The Thousand Oaks City Council will consider a $4,000 grant to support the effort at its meeting tonight.

To buy and ship the school supplies will cost about $15,000, according to a city staff report. The committee raised $5,000 earlier this year, and the city approved a $1,000 grant last year for the program. The final $5,000 is expected to come through a fund-raising drive led by Conejo Valley Unified School District Supt. Jerry Gross, Roubik said.

“Spitak never really recovered since the earthquake,” Roubik said. “It’s still been very difficult for them to afford to purchase any kind of school supplies, and they’re very scarce throughout the country.”

For more information, contact Roubik at (818) 597-9358.