Armenian-American Group Kicks Off Fund Raiser Drive to Help Disadvantaged Young Adults in Armenia.

FRESNO, Calif. -- Today, Our Home - Mer Doon, Inc., one of America's top Armenian support organizations, announced a new national fund raising effort to help disadvantaged young adults in Armenia.

The campaign features the sale of a wristband designed in the colors of the Armenian flag - orange, blue and red - and inscribed with the words "Band of Hope" "Remembered and Loved." Wearing of the band conveys the message that the holder is proud to have helped support a cause in Armenia that is bringing relief and hope to people who need help.

The Band of Hope is available for quantity purchase by churches, youth groups and other organizations desiring to make a difference in the world. They may be purchased through Mer-Doon in packages of 100 individually wrapped units for $60, plus freight costs, per package and used by organizations in their own fund raising drives,

Our Home - Mer Doon, Inc. is an American non-profit group, sponsored in part by the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America. Mer Doon provides support to transitional homes in Armenia for disadvantaged young women, so that they can acquire education and life skills that will enable them to live production lives.

"The members of the Mer-Doon Board come from all across the United States, demonstrating nationwide support for this uniquely important project," said Adrienne Krikorian, President of the organization. "Our desire is to provide a family environment for these young women who have spent their lives growing up in orphanages or who come from disadvantaged lifestyles in Armenia. Our goal is to provide them with a safe and effective means to transition to adulthood with realistic hope for living a happy and productive life. The program meets a critical need in Armenia, as hundreds of orphan and disadvantaged children supported by the Diaspora grow into adults. Without programs like Mer Doon, the alternative lifestyles facing some of these young women are catastrophic."

Armenia gained its independence after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, following a devastating earthquake in 1988. Shortly after gaining its independence, Armenia successfully supported the war of independence by Armenians living in the adjacent territory of Nagorno-Karabagh, formerly under the control of Azerbaijan. These events led to massive numbers of orphans and families without the means to support their children.

Armenia, estimated to have a population of about three million, is located in an area historically known as the "cradle of civilization," sharing borders with Turkey, Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. Estimates of the number of Armenians now living in the Diaspora (outside of Armenia) range from four-eight million. Substantial communities of Armenians exist in the United States, on both coasts, as well as in the upper mid-west areas, including both Detroit and Chicago.

More information about Mer-Doon is available on the Internet at www.Mer-Doon.Org. Orders for the Band of Hope and inquiries about Mer Doon may be made through e-mail by sending a message to [e-mail] or by calling Krikorian at [phone] or Mer Doon's U.S. Program Director, Julie Askekian, at [phone].