This year, the charity game was held at the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, home of the major league Washington Nationals.

The Republicans took home a 5-2 victory as the ANCA interns displayed posters and cheered for the various supporters of the Armenian American community, among them Senator John Ensign (R-NV) and Representatives Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), Anthony Weiner (D-NY), and Joe Baca (R-CA).

The interns were able to share the excitement of the game with a number of House Members there to cheer on their colleagues, including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and his wife Sandy, and Representatives Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Jim Langevin (D-RI), John Conyers (D-MI), and Steve Rothman (D-NJ).

ANCA Capital Gateway Program Director Serouj Aprahamian commented on the event by stating, “We’re used to seeing our elected representatives in suits at press conferences, on television, or in the Halls of Congress. It was a nice change of pace to get to meet with them at a baseball game, enjoying the sport with the rest of the 2,500 fans in attendance. Of course, we had to take the opportunity to extend our thanks to those Members who have stood in support of our community and our issues.”

Half-way through the game, the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, walked into the stadium and drew the attention of both Democratic admirers and Republican rivals alike. Following the game, the interns got a chance to meet the Speaker, thanked her for her past support and discussed the importance that the Armenian American community attaches to a timely vote on the Armenian Genocide Resolution.

All of the interns were well received and were thrilled to participate in a night full of baseball. “I was overjoyed to watch America’s favorite pastime and be able to meet America’s leaders all in one night, in one place,” said Nyree Naljian, an ANCA intern from New Jersey.

Proceeds from the charity baseball game went to the Washington Literacy Council and the Metropolitan Boys and Girls Clubs.

The ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship Program, now in its 23rd year, is an eight week intensive program designed to give student leaders and activists the tools necessary to effectively advance Armenian American concerns on campus and in their communities. It is an integral part of the ANCA Capital Gateway program, a year-round internship/job placement service, which provides Armenian Americans greater opportunities to explore careers on Capitol Hill, in the Administration, the media, and foreign policy think tanks. To learn more about the ANCA Capital Gateway Program, visit:
https://www.anca.org/gateway/gateway_overview.php