Pari Louys With Paros

Providing care and building stronger healthcare communities in Armenia is at the heart of Med-Aid Armenia. Each summer, medical professionals and volunteers travel across Armenia to provide medical checkups, connect with local communities, and share knowledge and training with local healthcare professionals, helping ensure the impact continues long after the team returns home.
In this episode we will hear about that experience from someone who was there this past summer. 
 
Hey New York! Join physicians, healthcare professionals, community leaders, supporters, and friends as we celebrate the growth of Med-Aid Armenia and our shared commitment to improving healthcare throughout Armenia.
This free event is a chance to meet some great people, and connect with others who care about Armenia.
RSVP using the link here: New York Med-Aid Event
The Gem Saloon
375 3rd Ave.
New York, NY 10016
Saturday October 24th, 6-9pm
☞ Business casual dress, light hors D’oeuvres & beverages will be served

Over the last 20 years, the needs in Armenia have changed a lot. What once focused more on immediate relief has gradually shifted toward long-term development and building sustainable opportunities. For organizations doing this work, that means constantly adapting and really listening to what communities need. Today, we’re taking a closer look, with Paros Executive Director, Peter Abajian, at how those needs have evolved and what that means moving forward.

In this episode, we’ll reflect on how the Armenian diaspora’s involvement with Armenia has evolved over the past 20 years, and what that means for the years ahead.

There are many ways to give back, and do so in a way that not only benefits the nonprofit you are supporting but your own financial journey as well.
On this episode, Certified Financial Planner, Eric Nikssarian, discusses how charitable giving really works and how you can apply it to your giving strategies. 

Being motivated to give back is one thing, but motivating others to join is a tall task that requires lots of determination. Our guest today was so moved by the students and community she encountered, she took it upon herself to rally her own community to help fund the majority of a gymnasium that would create opportunity, joy, and connection for years to come. What began as a personal spark quickly became a collective effort rooted in generosity and purpose. Her story is a powerful reminder of how one person’s initiative can create lasting impact.
 
Learn more here: https://parosfoundation.org/donations/sjshhatfwiozdaxh-3-2-10-3/

Over 35 years ago, the Gyumri earthquake left the second largest city in Armenia in shambles. Now three decades later the remnants of this disaster still remain, both visually throughout the city, and in the cruel cycle of poverty that has resulted. Through housing initiatives to permanently reduce domik, or container living, afterschool programs that provide enrichment for the future generation, and vocational training that gives people the opportunity to provide, strides are being made to not only move forward, but to thrive forward. 
Learn more about the Paros Housing, After School, and Vocational Center and get involved here: https://parosfoundation.org/donations/paros-center/

Across Armenia today, thousands of older adults, many of them refugees from Artsakh, are facing the most challenging chapter of their lives. Uprooted from their homes, separated from familiar communities, and navigating the realities of aging under extraordinary stress, they are carrying both personal loss and the collective trauma of displacement. Yet within this struggle lies a powerful story of resilience, dignity, and the urgent need for compassionate support.
 
Learn more about this population and the efforts being taken to help in any way possible in our interview with Paros Executive Director, Peter Abajian. 

Next on our mini series, “What Have You Done”, we speak with Nick Cabraloff, one of the founders of Yeraz Blend, a new social group that is becoming a bridge: linking young Armenians to one another, to their heritage, and to opportunities for creating meaningful change. 
 
Join the next Yeraz event benefitting The Paros Foundation on November 6th in LA.
Get your tickets here: https://parosfoundation.org/events/yeraz-blend/
Yeraz Blend Instagram

For the next episode in our mini-series, What Have You Done? We are interviewing Gail Chelebian, Superintendent of St. James Armenian Church Sunday School in Los Angeles, about what she has done to keep that bridge of faith and culture alive in her Armenian diaspora community. 

Giving back to the Armenia and Armenian organizations is something diaspora Armenians feel very connected to. From volunteering at your local church, donating to Armenia, visiting the country and giving back, and everything in between, getting involved as Armenians keeps the fabric of our culture thriving. Throughout 2025 we are asking our community, what have they done lately to get involved. Our hope is that these interviews show you that every little bit matters, and hopefully inspires you to also get involved.  
To kick off this mini-series we are talking to Paros donor and friend, John Mangasarian, who is a dedicated member of his Armenian community here in the United States as well as in Armenia. Learn more about how he gets involved in this episode.