Sophie Mekhitarian emigrated to the United States in 1949; one of thousands of displaced Armenians resettled after World War II thanks to the efforts of the American National Committee to Aid Homeless Armenians, or ANCHA as it later became known.

Her family had fled Soviet Russia and spent time in a military camp in Germany in a kind of limbo, she says, “a hopeless state.” Eventually, with the help of ANCHA, her family made it to New York, then Los Angeles, and finally settled in Fresno.

“My parents were very grateful for that life,” says Mekhitarian, who has spent the past three years honoring the work of ANCHA and its founders, with a memorial to be dedicated in a ceremony at 12:30 p.m. Sunday in of the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church in downtown Fresno.

American National Committee to Aid the Homeless Armenians (ANCHA) chairwoman Sophia Matewosian Mekhitarian, left, and co-chairman Varoujan Der Simonian, right, seen alongside the 13-foot memorial that will honor profiles in Armenian history and will be inaugurated in a ceremony on Sunday. April 16 at the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church. The public is invited to the ceremony, which will be followed by a reception. Photographed on Wednesday April 12, 2023 in downtown Fresno.

The memorial is a black granite slab more than 4 meters high, adorned with images of “Ancha’s triumphant trio”: founders George Mardikian, Suren Saroyan and Brigadier General Haig Shekerjian.

These men were true humanists, Mekhitarian says, and hold a special place in the community of displaced Armenians in Fresno and across the country.

Most notably, Mardikian gained national notoriety for his humanitarian work with the US government. In 1953 President Harry S. Truman awarded him the Medal of Freedom.

Mardikian is particularly revered, says Mekhitarian.

She recalls her father seriously discussing donating a kidney to Mardikian, who once in his life needed a transplant. Ultimately, her father didn’t have to make that choice.

There has already been a large influx of volunteers from the community, she says.

“He did so much good”

In addition to his philanthropic and humanitarian work, Mardikian was a restaurateur who popularized Armenian food in America at Omar Khayyam’s, a fairly famous restaurant on Powell Street in San Francisco. Before that, he ran the restaurant on Van Ness Avenue in Fresno and served on the board of Holy Trinity Church in Fresno, which became a meeting place for Armenians as they settled in the community.

“We all belong to the same church,” says Mekhitarian.

“The Church that took care of us.”

The parish has taken in complete strangers, she says, “one family after the other.” It helped them find places to work and live.

The church and others like it are also honored with a special plaque on the monument, as well as several unsung heroes who prevented the deaths of Armenians, particularly their prisoners of war, during WWII.

The memorial is intended to serve as both a reminder and an inspiration, Varoujan tells The Simonian of Fresno’s Armenian Museum, which facilitated its installation and dedication. Certainly, it aims to educate the wider public about ANCHA and the role it has played in relocating Armenian communities to the United States.

But beyond that, “it’s a calling to serve,” he says.

“It’s a great example of serving humanity.”

Archivist of the American National Committee to Aid the Homeless Armenians Rosie Megrdichian Bedrosian (left), Chair Sophie Mekhitarian (center) and Co-Chair Varoujan Der Simonian (right) pose in front of a model of the 13-foot-tall monument in Armenian on Wednesday -Holy Trinity Apostolic Church, April 12, 2023 in downtown Fresno.

Originally published Apr 15, 2023 at 7:30 am

The post These humanitarians aided displaced Armenians in Fresno. A monument now honors them appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

South San Francisco, CA March 10, 2020

Daniela Jonguitud, of South San Francisco, was honored by the South San Francisco City Council last evening, with a Proclamation of Women’s History Month with Vice Mayor Nicolas presenting the accolades. Jonguitud, an immigrant from Mexico, has worked hard to create her business, CHAJINEL Home Care Services. Her industry calls on her 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and she is currently establishing additional facilities in other locations outside of California. A single mom, Jonguitud understands the challenges many women face and the need to dig deep to keep on creating the life she has envisioned.

“For us, a business owned and founded by females, it is an honor to receive this proclamation. Thank you for the opportunity to serve the community of SSF and our aging community. It is a great honor to be a woman during these times.” Jonguitud tells us

Daniela Jonguitud with Vice Mayor Nicolas

“Being a woman in the 21st century is not an easy task, being a businesswoman, an immigrant, a single mother, is even harder.

Today, I want you to know woman that wherever you are, whatever you are doing, I salute you, and I recognize the importance of your input in our community.

But also today, I want to focus more than in what divide us, in what UNITE us. Females and males need each other to coexist in every level. My wish is that today and during this month, we can focus on finding balance, strength in our differences, and above all, be able to recognize that our growth would not be possible if we were not holding each other.

I want to invite you to just be, without dividing, just be. Because it is your strength woman the one that our community needs, and that can only be found and shared by you. Be strength, be courage, be love, be patience, be resilience, be creation, be wild.

Thank you for the honor of representing women today, thank you to all women and men who have held space for me to become who I am. Thank you to all women and men who have led the way for women like me, to have the opportunities we have nowadays.

Happy women’s history month. “

-Daniela Jonguitud, Founder and CEO of CHAJINEL Home Care Services

Daniela Jonguitud also sits on the Board of Directors for the South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and in her free time, you can find her enjoying playtime with her pup, or hiking in the woods.

We congratulate Daniela on this honor.

Daniela finds peace with her 10-month old pup Deja “She brings a balance to my life”

CLICK HERE to learn more about CHAJINEL Home Care Services.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce

The post South San Francisco Metropolis Council Honors Daniela Jonguitud, Founding father of CHAJINEL House Care Providers, with Proclamation of Girls’s Historical past Month appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

To celebrate and honor our heroes, a military member/veteran will be nominated by the community to be rewarded with a brand new a/c unit valued up to 10k

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Copyright 2022 Send2Press Newswire

The post ACE Dwelling Providers Honors Our Warriors by Offering a New A/C to Navy Veteran for the third Annual Giveaway | Ap appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The ‘Bad Axe’ documentary continues to earn awards as it makes the rounds at film festivals around the country.

Filmmaker David Siev’s chronicle of his hometown during the COVID-19 pandemic made its debut in March at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, where it won special jury and audience awards.

Making its Michigan debut at the Freep Film Festival in late April, ‘Bad Axe’ won the festival’s Audience Choice Award. It also earned the Grand Jury Prize at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival earlier this month, and last week Siev took home the Special Jury Honorable Mention Award at the Center for Asian American Media CAAMFest in San Francisco.

The film was also recently screened at the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival and the Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride, Colorado.

Siev’s film is described in promotional materials as a “real-time portrait of 2020 (that) unfolds as an Asian-American family in Trump’s rural America fights to keep their restaurant and American dream alive in the face of a pandemic, Neo-Nazis, and generational scars from the Cambodian Killing Fields.”

In early April, IFC Films acquired worldwide rights to “Bad Axe.” IFC Films distributes mainly independent films under its name, select foreign films and documentaries under its Sundance Selects label and genre films under its IFC Midnight label. It’s an offshoot of the Independent Film Channel, owned by AMC Networks.

The film is expected to debut in theaters and on video-on-demand services later this year.

One of the film’s executive producers is Jeff Tremaine, a director, screenwriter and producer best known for co-creating the MTV reality stunt show “Jackass” with Spike Jonze and Johnny Knoxville.

According to the film’s website, Siev, a graduate of the University of Michigan, left Bad Ax for Los Angeles and landed a home at Tremaine’s production company, Gorilla Flicks, where he spent several years “finessing the art of guerrilla filmmaking.”

“Bad Axe” made its hometown debut on May 1 before a packed house at the Bad Ax Theatre, where it was met with an overwhelmingly positive response.

The post David Siev’s documentary ‘Dangerous Axe’ earns honors in LA, San Francisco, Detroit appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

South San Francisco, CA March 10, 2020

Daniela Jonguitud, of South San Francisco, was honored by the South San Francisco City Council last evening, with a Proclamation of Women’s History Month with Vice Mayor Nicolas presenting the accolades. Jonguitud, an immigrant from Mexico, has worked hard to create her business, CHAJINEL Home Care Services. Her industry calls on her 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and she is currently establishing additional facilities in other locations outside of California. A single mom, Jonguitud understands the challenges many women face and the need to dig deep to keep on creating the life she has envisioned.

“For us, a business owned and founded by females, it is an honor to receive this proclamation. Thank you for the opportunity to serve the community of SSF and our aging community. It is a great honor to be a woman during these times.” Jonguitud tells us

Daniela Jonguitud with Vice Mayor Nicolas

“Being a woman in the 21st century is not an easy task, being a businesswoman, an immigrant, a single mother, is even harder.

Today, I want you to know woman that wherever you are, whatever you are doing, I salute you, and I recognize the importance of your input in our community.

But also today, I want to focus more than in what divide us, in what UNITE us. Females and males need each other to coexist in every level. My wish is that today and during this month, we can focus on finding balance, strength in our differences, and above all, be able to recognize that our growth would not be possible if we were not holding each other.

I want to invite you to just be, without dividing, just be. Because it is your strength woman the one that our community needs, and that can only be found and shared by you. Be strength, be courage, be love, be patience, be resilience, be creation, be wild.

Thank you for the honor of representing women today, thank you to all women and men who have held space for me to become who I am. Thank you to all women and men who have led the way for women like me, to have the opportunities we have nowadays.

Happy women’s history month. “

-Daniela Jonguitud, Founder and CEO of CHAJINEL Home Care Services

Daniela Jonguitud also sits on the Board of Directors for the South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and in her free time, you can find her enjoying playtime with her pup, or hiking in the woods.

We congratulate Daniela on this honor.

Daniela finds peace with her 10-month old pup Deja “She brings a balance to my life”

CLICK HERE to learn more about CHAJINEL Home Care Services.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce

The post South San Francisco Metropolis Council Honors Daniela Jonguitud, Founding father of CHAJINEL House Care Providers, with Proclamation of Girls’s Historical past Month appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

OAKLAND (CBS SF) — The Alameda County Sheriff’s Department held a procession Friday afternoon to honor the memory of the deputy recruit who was killed in a freeway shootout in Oakland earlier this month.

Chopper 5 flew overhead while the body of recruit David Nguyen was being transported from the Alameda County Coroner’s Office to a funeral home in Colma.

CONTINUE READING: French bulldog stolen at gunpoint in Oakland by owner; reward offered

The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office also released information about the procession on its Twitter account, noting that Nguyen’s family was present.

Today our command staff honored Sheriff Recruit David Nguyen and supported his family as he was transported to a Colma morgue by our Coroner’s Bureau in the city of Oakland. Services for Recruit Nguyen will be held on Monday, January 24, 2022. Further information follows. pic.twitter.com/zWwDYsBUeu

— Alameda County Sheriff (@ACSOSheriffs) January 14, 2022

Authorities identified Nguyen on the highway the day after the deadly shooting. The fatal incident, which claimed Nguyen’s life, occurred late afternoon on January 4 on the westbound approach to the Bay Bridge.

Nguyen was escorted to his home in San Francisco after a day of training with the 172nd Academy class. He was driving his car — a black Prius — on the westbound I-580 connecting ramp to westbound I-80 in Oakland around 4:30 p.m. when he was shot by an unknown assailant.

The car veered to the left and crashed into a guardrail. First responders saw that Nguyen, the driver and only occupant of the vehicle, had been shot.

CONTINUE READING: Redwood City driving instructor has been accused of sending porn to minors

Nguyen was taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland where he succumbed to his injuries, the CHP said.

Although he was not initially identified, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Tuesday night that the man killed was a young academy recruit.

The Alameda County Sheriff’s Charity Foundation opened an account with the Police Credit Union in Nguyen’s honor. All donations go to his family to help at this critical time of need. Donations can be made in person at a local Police Credit Union branch or by mail using the following account information:

The Police Credit Union
Alameda County Sheriff’s Charitable Foundation
In memory of David Nguyen
2550 Irving St
San Francisco, CA 94122

The sheriff’s office said services for Nguyen will be held on Monday, January 24.

MORE NEWS: San Francisco police arrest a man suspected of molesting an elderly woman in the Visitacion Valley

The Alameda County Deputy Sheriff’s Association has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for Nguyen’s death.

The post Procession Honors Reminiscence of Slain Alameda County Sheriff’s Recruit David Nguyen – CBS San Francisco appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

CBS

Pictured LR: Derek Hough and Laura Osnes

Derek Hough paid tribute to Dick Van Dyke and his iconic career in the way he does best – through dance. The entertainment icon was one of the 2021 Kennedy Center Awards winners, and Hough – who is no stranger to rewarding himself with two Primetime Emmy Awards and a record six Dancing With the Stars mirror ball trophies – pulled out all the stops ( and put on a happy face) to pay tribute to the 95-year-old legend with two fantastic singing and dancing performances.

Hough, 36, even received the Van Dyke seal of approval. In a video shared on Hough’s Instagram page, Van Dyke marveled at the dancer’s “Mary Poppins” moves and was blown away when he discovered the “Dancing With the Stars” veteran was just getting into the routine had rehearsed for a few days.

“What a pleasure to perform at @kennedycenter to honor an absolute legend,” Hough captioned the clip. “Dick Van Dyke has entertained us for decades. And performing for him on his special night, it filled me with so much joy to see his face light up during the performance. What an honor. “

So what routines did Hough perform?

Derek Hough performed a song and dance to “Put On a Happy Face” from “Bye Bye Birdie”

game

Derek Hough and Laura Osnes dance for Dick Van Dyke at the 43rd Annual Kennedy Center HonorsBroadway stars Derek Hough and Laura Osnes sing and dance through the Bye Bye Birdie number “Put On A Happy Face” and pay tribute to the legendary Kennedy Center Honoree Dick Van Dyke. Stream the entire 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors Special now on CBS and Paramount +.2021-06-07T05: 00: 01Z

In 1960 Van Dyke debuted the song “Put on a Happy Face” in the Broadway musical “Bye Bye Birdie”. Three years later he repeated his role as Albert F. Peterson for a cinema adaptation of the musical via IMDB. Van Dyke played the song with Janet Leigh, who played Rosie De Leon in the movie.

Almost 60 years later, Hough paid tribute to Van Dyke’s role when he and his partner, Broadway star Laura Osnes, performed an updated dance to the song. The two performed the reworked dance in an empty concert hall, where Hough also surprised fans with his singing chops.

Derek Hough danced and sang to “Step In Time” from “Mary Poppins”

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Dick Van Dyke celebrates a rousing “Step In Time” routine at the 43rd Annual Kennedy Center HonorsWith a scenic view of the Potomac River behind them, cast members Derek Hough, Laura Osnes, Aaron Tveit and Pentatonix create a popular act as they pay tribute to the Kennedy Center Honoree Dick Van Dyke. Stream the entire 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors Special now on CBS and Paramount +.2021-06-07T05: 00: 04Z

One of Van Dyke’s most popular films is the 1964 classic “Mary Poppins,” in which he played Bert the Chimney Sweep, a guy who also did three things as a street chalk artist, hang-glider and one-man band. Van Dyke also sported a bushy white beard, just as he has now done in real life to play the banker, Mr. Dawes.

In one of Van Dyke’s most memorable scenes from the Oscar-winning film, Bert and the other chimney sweeps danced and sang over the rooftops of London.

More than 55 years later, Van Dyke’s iconic performance from the original film “Mary Poppins” was remembered when Hough and a team of dancers performed a new version of “Step in Time” in his honor. The outdoor segment offered a view of the Potomac River from the rooftop, while singers Laura Osnes, Aaron Tveit and Pentatonix performed vocals.

It’s not the first time that Hough Van Dyke’s signature “Mary Poppins” performance has taken on. For the special “Wonderful World of Disney: Disneyland 60”, which aired on ABC in 2016, he played the lively dance number from the legendary Disney film. In a surprising cameo, Van Dyke, who was 90 years young at the time, even stepped on stage to hold his knees up for the updated version of the dance, Broadway World.

In addition to Hough’s homage to Van Dyke, other Kennedy Center honors Debbie Allen, Garth Brooks, Joan Baez and Midori were honored with performances by Vanessa Hudgens, Kelly Clarkson, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Emmylou Harris and Yo-Yo Ma, according to Vulture.

CONTINUE READING: Kennedy Center honors artists and presenters 2021

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SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE, Italy – They marched through the cobblestone streets waving high brushes like batons, a peppy – if sooty – group that occasionally shouted: “spazzacaminooooooo”, Italian for chimney sweeps (with a few additional o’s for emphasis).

Along the parade route, children stopped plastic bags in hopes of catching gifts from the chimney sweeps as they passed. Some were given candy while others rushed at needles, buttons, pencils, and even potatoes that were tossed into the crowd.

The adults were given dirty two-handed caresses that left few clean faces among the front row spectators along the way.

The festival is a time of celebration and attracts thousands of tourists to the town in the Vigezzo Valley near the Swiss border. But neither the cleanups nor the local residents have forgotten the past horrors of a dirty and dangerous business that depended on child exploitation. Memories of poverty and humiliation weigh heavily on those old enough to remember them.

“When the event started in the 1980s, few locals attended because they were ashamed,” said Claudio Cottini, the mayor of Santa Maria Maggiore.

The city’s identity has long been linked to commerce. The local chimney sweep museum shows a map from the 16th century.

Then, and for centuries afterwards, the families from this area were so poor that many had their sons work as chimney sweeps when they were 6 or 7 years old. It was one mouth less to feed.

The children who became “padroni” or master sweepers in teaching and word of mouth from their lives tell sobering stories of abuse and misery.

“That’s where the term ‘light a fire under the bum’ comes from: If the children weren’t working fast enough, the masters would say, ‘Hurry up or I’ll make a fire in the grate,'” says Diane Pilger of Long Island, NY, the former President of the National Chimney Sweep Guild in the United States. She attended this year’s festival with her husband John and daughter Krista, both sweeps.

Purposely malnourished to keep them lean, the young sweepers were forced to climb up narrow chimneys and scrape elbows and knees while scrubbing smoldering soot from the sides of a chimney. They traveled to distant lands for insignificant pay. Beatings were the order of the day.

“They were despised, humiliated and abused, but they made enormous sacrifices to send money home to help their families,” said Anita Hofer, vice president of the Italian National Chimney Sweepers Association and organizer of the festival.

The fate of the chimney sweeps, said Ms. Hofer, is not much different from that of thousands of African migrants who have dared a dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean in recent years to create a better life in Europe.

“Moving to another country to escape poverty is one of the hardest things possible,” she said, adding that many Italians, whose history is full of emigrants, have lost sight of it. “We should be more understanding because our ancestors had similar experiences.”

Every year visitors make a pilgrimage together in the nearby town of Malesco to the statue of Faustino Cappini, a 12-year-old sweeper who was electrocuted in 1929 when he stuck his hand out of a chimney and accidentally touched an electric wire. It was common for children to signal to their masters that they had cleaned the smoke vent to the tip.

Such tragedies are now largely a thing of the past. Technology, modern chimneys, and strict safety and certification regulations have made cleaning a much less dangerous job. And chimney sweeps can still find work.

“We have 2.6 million saunas in Finland,” says Juha Tuomi, a Finn who has been sweeping for 46 years, “and many are wood-fired.”

These changes have helped locals grapple with the uglier aspects of their history and explain how a trade tied to Dickens’ distress stories is the inspiration for a happy festival today.

“Over time, it becomes something to be proud of,” said Mayor Cottini. “It is now recognized that this land gave our ancestors a craft, and we honor that.”

The American contingent of the festival numbered 38, one of the largest groups, but a far cry from the 420 German sweepers who marched in the parade with a samba band.

All sweeps wore their fanciest, fanciest, mostly black best, even though the September sun provided summery temperatures.

The Swiss adorned their necks with bright red scarves. The Japanese wore stylish kimono-style jackets, while the Scots wore kilts. Contrary to the fashion trend, the Dutch were dressed in white, reminiscent of the time when they cleaned chimneys for their royal houses. Top hats were popular.

“It really all started here,” said Rosanna Ramoni, a local resident and leader of the parade. “This is the place of the heart, of its roots.”

While the parade boosts the local economy, the area is far more affluent today than it was when it sent chimney sweeps around the world.

Tourists flock at other times of the year to admire the frescoed facades and commercial art galleries of Santa Maria Maggiore, capitalizing on the Vigezzo Valley’s reputation as the “Valley of Painters”. The wealth also comes from Switzerland, where many locals commute and earn significantly higher wages than in Italy.

When the parade ended, the best national identities fraternized and the Scots marched with the Russians; the Japanese were bombarded with requests for photos; and a local sweeper, Livio Milani, scurried across the roof of the old town hall to wave an Italian flag. It was a happy moment.

“That is the picture that you have to take home with you,” said Ms. Ramoni to the cheers of the sweepers and spectators.

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In May, Debbie Allen will join an exclusive group of American dance greats, joining courageous names like Carmen de Lavallade, Bill T. Jones, Twyla Tharp, Michail Baryshnikov, Ginger Rogers, Alvin Ailey and Gene Kelly as the Kennedy Center Honoree.

The annual awards for those who have made outstanding cultural contributions through the performing arts have postponed the December 2020 celebration due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Kennedy Center Honors are now working on plans for an adjusted series of virtual honors for the week of May 17th. The possibility of small personal events on the Kennedy Center campus will be examined as security protocols evolve.

The 43rd group of winners includes Allen, the singer-songwriter and activist Joan Baez, the country-singer-songwriter Garth Brooks, the violinist Midori and the actor Dick Van Dyke.

Anyone who also took home a 2020 dance magazine award is perhaps best known for her portrayal of dance teacher Lydia Grant in “Fame” on television. Her decades-long career spans stage and screen as a performer, choreographer, director and producer. Today she inspires and promotes young artists through her Los Angeles-based Debbie Allen Dance Academy.