LAGUNA BEACH – A brother-sister pair of Scouts from Laguna Beach, California teamed up to start a sewing program for Yerevan’s Orran youth shelter as part of their Eagle Scout and Girl Scout Silver Award service projects this past summer.  The pair, Joseph and Ani Hovanesian from Laguna Beach, received enthusiastic applause from a crowd of 300 when they presented their project report at the annual gala for Orran in Glendale on October 1st.
Orran is a nonprofit founded by Armine and Raffi Hovannisian that is dedicated to serving Armenian children who were once found begging on the streets of Yerevan. Â Founded in 2000, Orran now serves over 300 children and elderly poor people in both Yerevan and Vanadzor, providing healthy meals, health, vision, and dental care. For children, Orran also helps with school work and vocational skill training to give them a path to rise above poverty.
As an Eagle Scout candidate, Joseph, a member of Laguna Beach Troop 35 and a freshman at Laguna Beach High School, first had the idea to do a service project in Armenia when his parents, John and Tanya Hovanesian, planned a trip there this past summer. Â John, an eye surgeon, had become familiar with Orran on his volunteer trips to Armenia with the Armenian Eye Care Project, and he connected Joseph with Armine, who founded and is director of the center.
Ani teaching Hripsime Melkonyan Orran volunteer to make puppet templates
Before starting his project, Joseph obtained approval from his troop, the local Scout district, and the Orran center in Armenia, to embark on an effort to raise money to purchase two sewing machines, supplies, and collect fabric for Orran, which he would bring to Armenia during his trip. He also planned to teach the first two machine sewing classes to the local children, launching what would become a regular vocational education program.
Joseph started his fundraising campaign first at St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church in Costa Mesa and later at his school and in the local community. He promoted the fundraiser and project through Laguna Beach KX radio, where his family friend, Caroline Rustigian, hosts a radio program that highlights local nonprofits.
In total, the youth raised over $2,500 for his project, almost double his goal, and this allowed him to purchase 4 sewing machines instead of 2. He also collected over 350 pounds of fabric, partly due to large gifts from Janet Designs, and Armenian-owned tailoring and designer in Laguna Beach and a local drapery manufacturer.
“It was amazing to see how supportive the community was when they heard a kid like me wanted to help other kids,â€
