Lyon, France – The Central Executive of the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) hosted its second Inter-Regional Meeting from October 13-14, 2018 in Lyon, France, in the presence of over 120 representatives from France, Armenia, Greece, Macedonia and Thrace, Lebanon, Bulgaria Regions and Sweden (Stockholm), Great Britain, Cyprus, Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany, Jordan, and Javakhk Chapters-at-Large.

The two-day meeting began on Saturday morning with the singing of the ARS anthem and an ice-breaker activity. Then, ARS Chairperson, Caroline Chamavonian welcomed the participants and presented a report on the organization’s activities, focused on the Vision 2020 Program.

There were also presentations by ARS Executive Director, Verginie Touloumian on the Operational Guidelines and the importance of marketing, and a Leadership workshop by ARS Vice-Chairperson, Dr. Nyree Derderian. During the meeting, the attendees also participated in several group activities and each representative had an opportunity to present their entities’ achievements and difficulties, their future outlook and activities, and challenges of their communities.

During the weekend, the ungerouhis also attended two events dedicated to the 90th Anniversary of the ARS France (La Croix Bleu Des Armeniennes), where members who have served the organization for more than 40 years received a recognition for their service. On Monday, October 15, the participants also visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial of Lyon, where the ARS Central and ARS Regional Executives, Lyon Council Member, Djida Tazdait, President of Armenian Organizations Council, Raffi Krikorian, and the ARS members placed wreaths and flowers in memory of the victims.

Following the weekend agenda, members returned to their homes with renewed enthusiasm and determination to continue working towards the ARS missions and goals.