On June 13, AGBU Toronto honored the chapter’s executive director Salpi Der Ghazarian for her more than 25 years of service to the chapter. An inscribed Michael Aram vase was presented to Der Ghazarian at a luncheon organized for AGBU President Berge Setrakian’s visit to the chapter, which brought together nearly 100 guests to the AGBU Toronto Centre.

Among the guests were the Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Canada Bishop Abgar Hovakimian, AGBU Central Board members Ani Manoukian and Lena Sarkissian, AGBU Toronto board and committee members, representatives of the Holy Trinity Armenian Church and Armenian cultural organizations as well as donors and chapter members. “I am completely surprised by this award. Serving AGBU for the past quarter of a century has been a great honor. The organization has been a big part of my life and it will continue to be,” said Der Ghazarian. Archpriest Der Zareh Zargarian, K.M. Greg Sarkissian of the Zoryan Institute and Ara Boyajian, former chair of the Diocesan Council, also expressed their gratitude for her contributions to the Armenian community of Toronto.

Der Ghazarian began volunteering for AGBU Toronto in 1981, served as a board member for the chapter from 1987 to 1989 and took on the role of executive director in 1989. Under her leadership, AGBU Toronto has organized major cultural events, including concerts with world-renowned musicians and lectures and book talks with prominent writers and historians. She has also been instrumental in showcasing the musical talents of the community’s youth with AGBU Toronto’s Annual Musical Talent Show.

AGBU Toronto was founded in 1923. In the following years, membership grew rapidly with young Armenians orphaned during the genocide. In the 1950s and 1960s, new Armenian immigrants arrived to Canada, predominantly from the Middle East, due to political and economic upheavals in the region. In 1979, land was purchased for the AGBU Toronto Centre in Scarborough, northeast of Toronto. Today, the Centre hosts a variety of cultural, sports, youth and social programs for Toronto’s growing Armenian community.

AGBU Toronto’s mission is to preserve and promote the Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian programs. Its executive board supports AGBU’s mission and programs in Armenia and the diaspora and oversees AGBU Toronto’s youth, sports, cultural, educational and social programs. The board is also committed to AGBU’s humanitarian projects in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh and its relief efforts in Syria and Iraq.