5/06/13 | Samuel Armen | COAF Volunteer | New York City

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When is the last time you challenged yourself and ended up doing exactly what you love? Danielle Hacet, one of COAF's staff here in NY, thought of a way to raise funds in a non-traditional manner. She is combining a number of her favorite things to create a new campaign. To check out the details and how you can help her achieve her goal, click here.  

 

 

3/22/13 | Samuel Armen | COAF Volunteer | Miasnikian

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In this post, Samuel Armen revists and reflects his experiences in Miasnikian, and provides a short film that captures approximately one minute's worth of life in the village.  {read more}

 

 

3/19/13 | Samuel Armen | COAF Volunteer | New York City

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In this post, Children of Armenia Fund volunteer Samuel Armen proposes a new definition for what 'COAF' means by adding a Verb part of speech to the abbreviation 'COAF'. {read more}

 

 

3/15/13 | Ani Jilozian | COAF Volunteer | Armenia

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Children of Armenai Fund volunteer, Ani Jilozian continues her post from last week titled, Women, Demystified: Overcoming Myths in Armenia's Villages. In this post, Ani recounts two personal experiences that provide insight towards male worker migration and the many adverse affects it has on families in the rural regions of Armenia. {read more}

 

3/13/13 | Taleen K. Moughamian | COAF Volunteer | Armenia

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Taleen K. Moughamian, a women’s health nurse practitioner in Philadelphia, traveled to Armenia to work with COAF in the fall of 2012. During her time in rural Armenia,Taleen conducted health exams, including breast and cervical cancer screenings, and provided contraceptive counseling. This essay originally appeared on Our Bodies Ourselves on February 6, 2013. {read more}

3/12/13 | Marisa Dabice | COAF Staff | New York City

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A Conversation with: Kelsey Anderson 

We are excited to introduce you to Kelsey Anderson, a Peace Corps volunteer who spent her first months living near other Peace Corps volunteers in Armenia, in the village of Kotayk Marz. In August 2011, she finished her intensive training period and moved to her permanent site of Karakert where she’d work in the Secondary School #1. We spoke to her recently about her experiences working as an English Teacher Trainer in rural Armenia. {read more}

3/08/13 | Ani Jilozian | COAF Volunteer | Armenia

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Women, Demystified: Overcoming Myths in Armenia's Villages 

Myths about women’s health make their way up and down gravel stone streets, traveling from the rocky mountainside to homes casted in concrete and tufa, meandering from the bedroom to the laundry line, whispered from neighbor to neighbor, friend to friend, sister to sister, mother-in-law to daughter-in-law.  Myths are a way of life in the remote villages of Armenia. {read more} 

 

3/05/13 | Samuel Armen | COAF Volunteer | Armenia

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Still in Miasnikian traversing about, time-traveling through The Past Corridor, stepping outside, stepping inside, attempting to film each beautiful face as classes change, waving to children who try to study despite me waving a camera in their face and giving them the thumbs-up sign like a Western Borat… {read more}

 

2/28/13 | Marisa Dabice | COAF Staff | New York City

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Donor Spotlight: Narine Vartanian & Project Armenia

 

 

For our third installment of "Donor Spotlight" we are pleased to introduce you to Narine Vartanian and Project Armenia who have been raising money for people living in rural Armenia through a series of innovative fundraisers at West Anchorage High School in Anchorage, Alaska. We spoke to Narine recently about her work with Project Armenia, what inspired her to start the group, and how she came to find COAF.  {read more}

 

n 2012, we saw a spike in the creativity of donor engagement with COAF.  Donors shared their birthdays and wedding anniversaries with us and we were honored to be a part of the celebration. In addition to these festivities, in October of 2012, we were introduced to Narine Vartanian a senior at West Anchorage High School in Anchorage, Alaska. - See more at: http://www.coafkids.org/blog/donor-spotlight-narine-vartanian-amp-project-armenia/#sthash.fZf60R7L.dpuf

n 2012, we saw a spike in the creativity of donor engagement with COAF.  Donors shared their birthdays and wedding anniversaries with us and we were honored to be a part of the celebration. In addition to these festivities, in October of 2012, we were introduced to Narine Vartanian a senior at West Anchorage High School in Anchorage, Alaska. - See more at: http://www.coafkids.org/blog/donor-spotlight-narine-vartanian-amp-project-armenia/#sthash.fZf60R7L.dpuf

2/27/13 | Samuel Armen | COAF Volunteer | Armenia

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The Past Corridor

On February 5^th and February 6^th, 2013, I traveled to the COAF villages with the intention of collecting film for an upcoming project. Traveling with me were Haig Boyadjian (Marketer and PR for COAF), Lilit Khachatryan (Photographer for COAF) and Alexander Yakaitis (a friend from back home). We would be traveling to Myasnikiyan, Karakert, Lernagog, Baghramyan and then back to Karakert for the school opening {read more}

2/20/13 | Marisa Dabice| COAF Staff | New York City

A Conversation with COAF Donor Relations Coordinator: Danielle Hacet

In our latest addition of "A Conversation with..." we talk to the newest addition to the COAF NYC staff: Danielle Hacet! Danielle joined the team in August to work as our Donor Relations Coordinator and played an instrumental role in putting together our Ninth Annual Holiday Gala. We are so happy to have her and are very excited to introduce her to you now! {read more}

2/07/13 | Sam Dolgin-Gardner | Peace Corps Volunteer | New York City

10/01/12 | Lily Abagyan | Filmmaker | California

How to Save a Generation: Dance
How to Dance the Kochari
-Part 5 of 5- 

The highly anticipated final installment of filmmakers Lily Abagyan and Hayk Hovsepyan's How To series has arrived. Watch as Zhenya and Volodya, along with the other members of the Sasun Dance Group from the village of Lernagog, teach us how to dance the Kochari: a beloved Armenian folk dance that has been passed down for generations. {watch and read here}

9/19/2012| Kim Artounian | COAF Summer Intern | Yerevan, Armenia

My Experience in Armenia

This past summer, Kim Artounian traveled to Yerevan, Armenia to develop and implement a series of hygiene and dental programs for the COAF summer camps. Kim had a wonderful experience in rural Armenia and was eager to share her story with us. {read more}

9/13/2012| Michael Merjian | COAF Volunteer | NYC 

A Trip to Lernagog

COAF Volunteer and Supporter, Michael Merjian, recently visited Lernagog, Armenia for the opening ceremony of the Creativity Lab. Michael recounts his day in the village and what the experience meant to him {read more}

8/30/2012| Marisa Dabice & Narineh Abrahamian | COAF Staff | NYC & Armenia

A Conversation with COAF-Armenia Summer Intern: Narineh Abrahamian

COAF-Armenia summer intern, Narineh Abrahamian, talks to COAF NYC staff member, Marisa Dabice, about her involvement in this year's COAF summer camps. Narineh helped to create dental and general hygiene demonstrations, as well as lessons on healthy living, that she taught to the primary, middle, and high-school aged children. {read more}

8/27/2012| Keith Krosinsky | COAF Summer Intern | NYC

A Summer Interning with COAF

Keith Krosinsky interned at COAF’s New York City offices over the summer of 2012. He sought out  work with COAF for the summer as a way to prepare for his upcoming graduate program where he will be studying international relations in Brussels. {read more}

8/14/2012| Marisa Dabice | COAF Staff | NYC

Donor Spotlight:  Erin Melikian

In the last few months, COAF has been honored to become a part of two very special celebrations: a 10th birthday and a 40th wedding anniversary! This is our way of saying thank you and highlighting the extraordinary goodwill of our donors. In this latest donor spotlight you'll read the story of Erin Melikian and her parents 40th wedding anniversary!  {read more}

8/13/2012| Marisa Dabice | COAF Staff | NYC

Donor Spotlight: Nella Khachian

 7/24/2012| Marisa Dabice | COAF Staff | NYC

A Conversation with COAF Executive Director: Joe DeStefano 

COAF-NYC Executive Director, Joe DeStefano, recently traveled to Armenia to meet with the COAF Yerevan staff. For a week they discussed COAF's programs and plans for explansion: where we've been and where we're going.  {read more}

7/12/12 | Marisa Dabice | COAF Staff | NYC

A Conversation with COAF Supporters: Max & Alexander Teicher 

COAF staff member, Marisa Dabice, speaks with Max and Alexander Teicher about their first trip to Armenia {read more}

4/19/12 | Michelle Granara | Counselor | Boston

First day on the job 

Michelle Granara, a residential counselor from Boston, currently volunteers with COAF, focusing on relationship building for school psychologists and social workers in the COAF-sponsored villages. In the following blog post, she reflects on her first day in Armenia’s rural area. {read more}

4/14/12 | Sam Dolgin-Gardner | Peace Corps volunteer | New York

Working alongside COAF 

Sam Dolgin-Gardner is a volunteer with the Peace Corps. He currently lives in Aragatsotn in western Armenia and has been working in the country since 2010.{read more}

4/5/12 | Lily Abagyan | Filmmaker | California
How to Save a Generation: Cows
How to Make Armenian Yogurt
-Part 4 of 5- 

This video was shot in the remote village of Shenik—surrounded by vast landscapes and so far west that the Turkish border is equidistant with neighboring villages. On this day, like every other day, we visited the homes so we could get a shot of the children telling us about themselves in their bedrooms. This was our only opportunity to really enter their homes, to show people that oftentimes, behind the clever eyes and broad smiles were difficult circumstances. {read more}