According to the October 23 issue of the Armenian Reporter Int., there is a twenty-one 
million dollar fund drive underway to provide 200,000 tons of heating oil to Armenia this 
winter.  Actually, only seven mission dollars of the twenty-one million needs raising.  
The Lincy foundation has generously offered to double match it by providing the 
additional fourteen million. 


All funds raised by the Hayastan All Armenian Fund and local tax exempt Armenian 
Fund organizations, both here and abroad, will be turned over to the United Armenian 
Fund for this project.


The United Armenian Fund (UAF) is a coalition of the Armenian Assembly of America, 
Armenian General Benevolent Union, Armenian Missionary Association of America, 
Armenian Relief Society, Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, Prelacy of the 
Armenian Apostolic Church of America, and of course, the Lincy Foundation.


All of the purchasing the transportation for this fuel will be under the UAF’s supervision 
in full cooperation with the Hayastan All Armenian Fund.  All of the suppliers involved 
have agreed to accept payment only upon delivery in Armenia, thereby eliminating the 
risk of loss or pilfering during transport.


According to Mr. Harout Sassoumian, one of the individuals involved in establishing the 
UAF, the development of this united fund raising alliance is a major breakthrough for all 
Armenians, and this is true.  To the best of my knowledge, though there has been an 
increasing amount of cooperation between some of our Armenian organizations, I have 
never seen anything to match the united magnitude of this twenty-one mission dollar fund 
drive.  No doubt, there was a massive outpouring of response and some cooperation 
between a few of our Diaspora organizations and institutions after the December 7, 1988 
earthquake.  But there wasn’t anything as united and coordinated as this newest UAF 
drive.  I can only hope and pray that it succeeds and that it becomes a model for the 
future.


I also hope and pray that after Armenia’s crisis winters are past -- when she finally finds 
peace and becomes a firmly established and prosperous nation, that her scribes will take 
the time to properly acknowledge all of the unselfish labors of love and dedication along 
the way.  And when they record this latest twenty-one million dollar, winter warming of 
Armenia fund drive, I’m sure they will acknowledge the Lincy Foundation as well as the 
UAF will all of its supporting organizations.  But more than that, they can truthfully say, 
"The winter of ‘93 was the first time in history when Armenians throughout the world 
were truly united."  

Those wishing to help history along by contributing, can do so through the organizations 
listed in this commentary.  For more information, they can telephone the UAF directly at 
(818) 241-8900 or they can write to:  UAF, 126 S. Jackson Street, Suite 205, Glendale, 
California   92105.


Joseph Vosbikian