When Janet and Ed Mardigian made the decision to support the FAR Children’s Center, they did so out of their compassion for children and a calling to help one of the world’s most important, but most vulnerable, populations.
There was a reason that they decided to channel their support to Armenia through FAR. When Janet saw firsthand the level of professionalism that exists at the Children’s Center, she believed it to was a worthwhile place to support. The experts on staff were compassionate and knowledgable about how to provide the proper care to this particular population of children, and they were supervised by a competent and dedicated director, Dr. Mira Antonyan.
The experience of that first visit was incredibly impactful, recalled Ed. “We think the Center does an incredible job there in helping these kids, with their nutrition, their education—everything.”
Each year the Mardigians would increase their donation. Eventually, they were asked if they would provide a five-year pledge. They did. It was their first long-term commitment to FAR. Since then, The Mardigian Family Foundation has expanded its involvement to support other FAR projects, including the soup kitchen in Berd and the renovation of Octet Music School in Gyumri, which was completely rebuilt in 2013, 25 years after having been demolished by the 1988 earthquake.
“We believe that FAR is a great organization and that they are hands-on with immediate results. We’ve found that to be true with everything we’ve supported,” said Ed. With competent and dedicated staff, along with administration costs that do not exceed more than 10 percent of its overall budget, the Mardigians said they are confident that their support through FAR makes an impact.
“The money goes to the cause,” said Janet. “We don’t worry about our donation and whether it’s being spent well. FAR makes every dollar count.”