The System of A Down group supports Orran
On October 1, 5th Annual Charity Dinner of Benevolent Non-Governmental Orgaization Orran was held at the Vertigo Event Venue in Glendale. Famous artists, musicians, politicians, businessmen came to participate in the event. The event took place in a warm and lively environment, and overall, two hundred thousand dollars were collected, which will help Orran continue providing food, educational, psychological, social and medical services to 300 needy children who attend their Yerevan and Vanadzor centers, and 100 single elderly people. The noteworthy part of the event was the traditional live auction. The members of the System of a Down team contributed to the success of this auction, as they donated numerous expensive items to the sale. The silver necklace, donated by Shavo Odadjian, was sold for two thousand dollars. The musical plate, donated by John Dolmayan, was sold for sixteen thousand five hundred dollars. Serj Tankian donated his electric guitar by which he made his last world tour, and it was sold for seventeen thousand dollars. In addition, last year Serj also donated his guitar to Orran, by which he performed in 2015 at the Republic Square concert dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Orran's founder Armine Hovhannisyan talked about the success of the charity dinner. “Annual Charity Dinner of Orran proved that Armenians from all over the world are always ready to assist the needy families living in their homeland. It is inspirational to see so many people who have come together in order to help children and elderly people in extreme social conditions.” Orran, meaning “haven” in Armenian, was established in downtown Yerevan in April 2000 by Chairman of the Heritage Party Raffi Hovhannisian and his wife Armine Hovhannisian. The center started with 16 children, but within six months, it had grown to embrace more than 26 at-risk elderly and 40 socially vulnerable children, some of whom were orphans. In 2009, another Orran center was established in the city of Vanadzor named after its major benefactors Krikor and Anna Krikorian. The number of our beneficiaries keeps increasing. Today, we have 110 elderly and 220 children, with ages ranging from five to sixteen years. Since its inception, Orran has helped thousands of families in need, all over Armenia and in Artsakh. For more information visit www.orran.am
