ENCINO, Calif. – Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield visited the Armenian Cultural Foundation Sarkis and Suzan Kitsinian Youth Center on September 17, meeting with representatives of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Armenian Cultural Foundation, Armenian National Committee of America, and other Armenian American community organizations.
Blumenfield was welcomed by members of the ARF Rosdom Gomideh, headed by its chair, Shant Parseghian. Also present were ARF Western United States Central Committee Representative Levon Baronian; Greg Mazmanian, Chair of the ANCA San Fernando Valley West Chapter, which operates out of the center; and Avo Babian, Chair of the ANCA San Fernando Valley East Chapter.
Babian introduced Blumenfield to those gathered, after which members of the Rosdom Gomideh led the Councilmember on a tour of the center and provided an overview of its facilities, activities, and the Armenian community organizations that operate from the site.
Blumenfield has been familiar with the project for many years and supported the development of the Armenian community center throughout his tenure on the Los Angeles City Council, as the effort moved through the City approval and development process.
The former Los Angeles Fire Department Station 83 property at 5001 North Balboa Boulevard was ultimately transformed into the ACF Sarkis and Suzan Kitsinian Youth Center, creating a permanent Armenian community institution in the western San Fernando Valley.
The center serves as a home for local activities and chapters of the Armenian Cultural Foundation and a number of community organizations, including the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Armenian National Committee of America, Armenian Youth Federation, Armenian Relief Society, Homenetmen, and Hamazkayin.
During the September 17 tour, Rosdom Gomideh members familiarized Blumenfield with the completed facility and the range of community, youth, cultural, and civic activities taking place there.
The visit also provided an opportunity for Blumenfield to meet with representatives of organizations serving Armenian Americans throughout the San Fernando Valley and to see firsthand the completed center whose development he had supported over the years.
Blumenfield has represented Los Angeles City Council District 3 since 2013. The district encompasses communities throughout the western San Fernando Valley and includes a significant Armenian American population.
The visit reflected the Armenian community’s longstanding engagement with Los Angeles city officials and highlighted the ACF Sarkis and Suzan Kitsinian Youth Center’s role as an important center of Armenian community life in the San Fernando Valley.