Hundreds Lost Their Hearts in San Francisco!

AGBU YP of Northern California “Winter Gala Getaway Weekend”

Overwhelming Success

Record Setting $15,000 Raised for the AGBU Children’s Centers in Armenia

 San Francisco, CA (February 21, 2006) -- Elegant splendor was the call of the evening at the Old Federal Reserve and Banking Building, downtown San Francisco, on Saturday, February 4, at the 7^th annual Winter Gala Getaway Weekend fundraiser, sponsored by the AGBU Young Professionals of Northern California.  Over 300 young professionals from throughout the country and overseas converged in picturesque San Francisco for an entire weekend of friends, sightseeing and fun.

The AGBU Young Professionals of Northern California, now in their eighth year, hosted the 7^th annual Winter Gala Getaway Weekend from Thursday, February 2 through Sunday, February 5^th, 2006.  The fundraising weekend raised a record $15,000 for this year's designated charity, the AGBU Children’s Centers in Armenia.

“We are thrilled with the amount of money raised this year, topping off all previous years!” exclaims Alison Ekizian, Chairperson of the Winter Gala. “What’s also rewarding is the amount of new faces this year! Guests from all over the world converged into San Francisco and we were thrilled. However, we “warned” everyone to be careful and not to ‘lose their heart in San Francisco’ during their visit!”

The weekend’s festivities began Thursday night for a welcome mixer at the trendy Vino Venue, a new wine-tasting bar.  Guests spent the evening wine-tasting, catching up with old friends and meeting new faces. On Friday evening, guests reunited at Roe, a hip nightclub, where they spent the evening moving and shaking to the upbeat music of well-known live resident DJ, Gerry Ross.

Classic and sunny San Francisco weather encouraged guests to spend Saturday afternoon strolling around the city, riding cable cars, shopping in Union Square and soaking in all the beauty San Francisco has to offer.  Group accommodations were at the Argent Hotel, centrally located, and just blocks away from Union Square and the newly renovated Ferry Building.

The highlight of the fundraiser weekend was held at the historic Old Federal Reserve and Banking Building, which was a spectacular backdrop for the elegant Winter Gala.  Fr. Sarkis Petoyan, pastor of St. John Armenian Apostolic Church of San Francisco, offered his blessing to the weekend guests.

Alison Ekizian personally welcomed the guests with warm remarks and announced the presence of Anita Anserian, Director of AGBU Central Board Programs and Kim Yacoubian, AGBU Young Professionals Liaison, who flew in from AGBU headquarters in New York. A brief slide presentation was played to show guests where the money raised from the weekend was contributing towards. With no time to waste, the John Bilezikjian ensemble began playing Armenian favorites and the dance floor was filled the rest of the evening.  After the Gala, guests headed to the Argent Hotel for an after party which continued on until the early hours of the morning.

The weekend’s festivities concluded on Sunday with the brunch held at Lulu Restaurant in the city’s SOMA district. Guests gathered one last time to share the final few hours and exchange contact information, while making plans to see each other again at the next AGBU event.  Plans are already underway for next year's weekend—stay tuned!

If you would like further information about the AGBU-YP NC, please contact info@agbusfgala.com. To view pictures from this year’s event, past AGBU-YPNC events, or to learn more about the organization, please visit the newly designed website at www.agbuypnc.org.

- Lara Roubinian