Community: Armenian society recognizes 60
The entrance of 60 Armenian Relief Society honorees clad in tricolor ribbons into the Glendale Hilton Hotel’s Grand Ballroom inspired a standing ovation by the more than 500 guests attending the Armenian Relief Society of Western USA’s Gala 2012 on April 27.
Honorees were selected by their respective chapters in the society’s Western USA region to be recognized for their excellence in service in categories including longtime member, financially supportive member and exemplary member.
Masters of Ceremony Grigor Ogaryan and Talar Aintablian introduced the guests, including His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, the society’s Central Executive Chairwoman Vicky Marashlian and board member Rosie Bedrossian, ACF Representative Anahit Aprahamian, Asbarez Editor Apo Boghigian, Los Angeles City Councilman Eric Garcetti and Glendale Unified school board member Greg Krikorian.
Tenor Raffi Kerbabian sang the national and society’s anthems, accompanied by pianist Hovsep Torossian. Guests watched a video message from Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), then mingled and had dinner. Entertainment was provided by an Armenian folklore music group directed by Ruben Haroutunyan.
Nyree Derderian, chairman of the society’s regional executive board, delivered remarks and mentioned the April 24 commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. Derderian also touched on the local and international programs of the Armenian Relief Society of the Western USA and congratulated the region’s 28th anniversary.
“We celebrate our members, who through their dedicated years of service have always risen to the call of action. To be honored by your peers is the highest honor that can be bestowed on a person,” she said.
Derderian introduced the keynote speaker, Fresno County Superior Court Judge Houry Sanderson, an active member of Fresno’s Sophia Chapter. His topic covered “The Volunteer and the Code of Conduct of the Volunteer.”
Sona Zinzalian, the society’s social services executive director, was honored for her 30 years of service.
Also, Sevag Saghdejian and Nayeri Saghdejian-Kassajikian of Specialty Car Craft presented a check for $25,000 to the society. The funds were raised at the first Memorial Run on the occasion of April 24. Proceeds benefit the society’s Armenia-Artsakh Orphans’ Fund.
Jasik Jarahian, general manager of the Armenian Relief Society Regional Headquarters, headed the organizing committee.
Noon Rotary plants at community college
Glendale Noon Rotary Club members added colorful, drought-resistant plants at the front entrance of the John A. Davitt Administration Building at Glendale Community College on April 28.
For this “Rotarians at Work” project, the organization donated the plants and Rotary members did the planting. The planting was also funded by the college’s Campus Beautification Fund developed by Glendale Community College Board of Trustees member Tony Tartaglia and administered by the Glendale College Foundation.
Larry Tison, Glendale Noon Rotary Community Beautification chairman, provided the landscape design and supervised the plant installation by volunteer Rotarians. Student volunteers from the college also were invited to participate.
Glendale gets nod for reliable public power
For the second year in a row, Glendale Water & Power has earned the Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) designation from the American Public Power Assn.
Glendale Water & Power is one of 176 public power utilities out of 2,000 nationwide to earn the RP3 designation. The RP3 designation is awarded to those public power utilities that provide customers with the highest degree of reliable and safe electric service.
To be recognized as a model safe and reliable utility operation at the national level is an honor, said Glenn Steiger, GWP general manager.
“Our team continuously works hard to make improvements in our system’s reliability and customer satisfaction,” he said. “We have made significant investments in our infrastructure over the last few years and the RP3 designation is confirmation of that.”
Verdugo Hills Home Care among top 25%
Verdugo Hills Home Care was rated as one of the top 25% home health agencies in the United States, according to healthcare ratings agency OCS HomeCare. It has received this distinction for the past two years.
OCS HomeCare placed Verdugo Hills Home Care in its 2011 HomeCare Elite, a market-leading review that names the top 25% of agencies in quality of care, financial performance and other categories. The 2011 HomeCare Elite also recognizes the Top 100 and Top 500 providers in the country.
JOYCE RUDOLPH can be reached at rudolphjoyce10@gmail.com.