Appreciation Dinner Honoring The Starkey Hearing Foundation And Raising Awareness For The Armenian Hearing Aid Project

Under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, Mr. and Mrs. Armen and Heidi Kavoukjian hosted an Appreciation Dinner at the Nazareth and Sima Kalaydjian Hall in honor of the Starkey Hearing Foundation. The event also raised awareness for the Armenia Hearing Aid Project in which 1,800 Armenians were fitted with custom-made hearing aids free of charge. Welcoming remarks were delivered by Mr. Aram Kavoukjian. Following the Invocation, Mr. Greg Kavoukjian a Powerpoint Video presentation highlighting the tremendous impact of the Starkey Hearing Foundation in the lives of nearly 2,000 Armenians in the homeland.   

Mr. Trevor Turner, International Projects Manager presented the mission of the Starkey Hearing Foundation and reflected on his moving experience in presenting hearing aids to the children, adolescents and elderly in Armenia.

The artistic portion of the program featured a beautiful performance by Mary Minasian of the “Sound of Music and Sense of Art” Cultural Center.

With the ASL translation by Sophia Demirchyan, remarks were made by Armenian Church Deaf Organization (ACDO) representative Dn. Tigran Khachikyan. Dn. Tigran introduced the mission of the ACDO of providing means to those who are deaf and hard of hearing of establishing a sound relationship with Christ through various services.

Founders of the Armenia Hearing Aid Project Mr. and Mrs. Armen and Heidi Kavoukjian expressed their genuine gratitude to the Starkey Foundation for their vital involvement in bettering the lives of Armenians with hearing loss. They highlighted the Armenia Hearing Aid’s three-phase process in servicing over 1,800 patients with hearing loss.

In his closing remarks, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian commended the God-pleasing mission of the Armenia Hearing Aid Project with the close collaboration of the Starkey Hearing Foundation. In recognition of the immense humanitarian mission accomplished in Armenia in 2017, His Eminence presented a cross-stone to Mr. Turner dedicated to the Starkey Hearing Foundation. 

Archbishop Derderian also commended the Christian spirit of Mr. and Mrs. Armen and Heidi Kavoukjian, founders of the Armenia Hearing Aid Project, in bringing the God-pleasing mission to fruition. His Eminence also expressed his wholehearted gratitude to the individuals and organizations which support the Armenia Hearing Aid Project, namely, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Mrs. Alice Chakrian and the Agape Circle of the Western Diocese, SHF Mission Volunteer Mrs. Nora Yacoubian, Mr. and Mrs. Karapet and Sirvart Kavoukjian and the Golden State Seafood Company, Comfortcare Hearing Aid Center, the Ladies of Circle of Faith Bible Study Group, the Arabkir United Children’s Charity Fund and the volunteer students of Yerevan Universities.