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Special Olympics Armenia National Director and his wife make a lifetime commitment
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Special Olympics Armenia National Director Artak Israelyan with his godchildren (l-r) Lilit Hovhannisyan, Mariam Melyan, Ashkhen Stepanyan and Artur Torosyan, and their teacher Kima Gevorgyan, after the ceremony. Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Armenia |
The SO Get Into It® seminar held at Special School No. 1 in Armavir, Armenia, in June 2007 was a big success in informing participants about the importance of inclusion. But school Principal Lilia Asatryan decided to go one step further in bringing people closer to her students. She asked Special Olympics Armenia National Director Artak Israelyan to be godfather to four of her students, who are Special Olympics athletes: Lilit Hovhannisyan, Mariam Melyan, Ashkhen Stepanyan and Artur Torosyan. Israelyan accepted the honor and on 5 November 2007, he and his wife, Anush Shahverdyan, a Special Olympics volunteer, traveled to the city in southwestern Armenia for the christening.
Among those attending the christening ceremony were others who the Principal had asked to become godfathers to her students: the Mayor, the head of the regional educational authority, a clergyman, a well-known actor, and the head of an NGO had all become godfathers. “Becoming a godfather to these children is an honor for me and is a joyful commitment that will last throughout my lifetime,” Israelyan said. The SO Get Into It seminar was made possible through a Mattel Children's Foundation grant.
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