Christmas Message from the Board of Directors

Dear Friends of Hayashen,

I am writing to you on behalf of the Board of the Centre for Armenian Information and Advice (Hayashen) to wish you a very Happy Christmas and New Year. My fellow Board Members and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your dedication and support, and to share our reflections on the last year.

As we turn the page on 2018, we look back on a very busy and successful year. We can feel proud of many notable accomplishments achieving meaningful impact both in our Centre and across the community. Some of these successes include:

• refurbishing our kitchen to serve more of our community members
  
• digitizing our multilingual Armenian library to reach a more diverse audience
  
• successfully concluding our WWI heritage project and documenting Armenian experiences
• holding numerous well-attended speaking events on a range of topics
  
• continuing our all-important welfare and advice programme serving those most in need
  
• launching a new mental health project: Emotional Wellbeing Group and one-to-one support sessions, further enhancing CAIA’s relevance to the community 

All of this was made possible with the generous support of our fantastic volunteers who donated their time and skills to our community.

Last month, we held our Annual General Meeting to review progress over the year and hold Board elections. Our Treasurer, Diane John, completed a three year term as Board Member but will continue to be an asset to our community. We are tremendously grateful to Ms John for her instrumental role in helping ensure Hayashen was an efficient and forward-thinking organisation. Her contributions were many and included vital updates to our IT and information security systems, streamlining project management and creating a beautiful new website that reflects our aspirations to be a centre of excellence in the community.

Our members nominated two Board prospects – Sos Grigorian and Flora Mansurian – who will formally begin their apprenticeship in the New Year and have the opportunity to explore the roles and responsibilities of being a Hayashen Board Member. 

We wish you and your families an enjoyable holiday and a happy, healthy New Year.

Sincerely yours on behalf of the Board of Directors,

Richard M. Anooshian, Chairman