LAS VEGAS—On the afternoon of Thursday, May 9 tennis legend Andre Agassi visited the newly built St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church of Las Vegas.
Upon arrival Agassi met Archpriest Fr. Avedis Torossian, Parish Council Chairman Adroushan Armenian and Building Committee members Koko Darakjian and Levon Gulbenkian. Houry Darakjian representing the ARS Armenian Saturday school, Lindy Schumacher representative of Kirk Kerkorian’s Dream Fund at UCLA, and Mr. & Mrs. Alex and Arda Yemenidjian were also present.
Agassi and the visitors entered the church after lighting their candles where a brief background was provided about the Las Vegas Armenian community and St. Garabed Church construction process.
The group then toured the Cultural Center facility where Darakjian briefed about the Saturday Armenian School and expansion plans for the 2013-2014 academic year and equipping the school with advanced Armenian language and history learning techniques.
At the end of the visit, Father Avedis presented Agassi with a traditional Armenian cross-stone commemorating this special visit. Agassi complimented the St. Garabed Parish and the Las Vegas Armenian community for their achievements and wished them continued success.
I am sure very soon we will hear about the launch of ANDRE AGASSI TENNIS COURT next to the church.
I hope.
If Andre Agassi feels so much Armenian he should have married an Armenian girl and visit Armenia not the church in Las Vegas. He should encourage Armenians to go back to Armenia and build inside Armenia not in Las Vegas.
Please do not encourage Armenians to come and settle in Las Vegas. There is nothing in Las Vegas for Armenians except loss of our Armenian identity.
This is a crime against Armenians and a silent genocide.
Guess what career an 18 year old Armenian girl or boy will choose in Las Vegas? I will leave this to your imagination.
What a waste to build in Las Vegas while that money could have been spent to build inside Armenia.
My GOD why are we doing this?
Nonsense,
Dont come to this country then.
When you come to this country you take everything with it.
That includes marrying an odar.First be a good American! By the way Agassi is half Armenian anyway.
Who cares if Andre Agassi is half Armenian.
He uses the word “Armenian” to his benefit wherever and whenever he wants.
Thousands of dollars is wasted in Las Vegas that could have been used inside Armenia where it is desperately needed and you are proud of it.
By the way you forgot to tell everyone what career an 18 year old Armenian girl will choose in Las Vegas.
I do not think anyone cares if Andre Agassi is half Armenian or not.
Thousands of dollars is wasted in Las Vegas that could have been used inside Armenia where it is desperately needed and you are proud of it.
By the way you forgot to tell everyone what career an 18 year old Armenian girl will choose in Las Vegas.
I care and am proud that Agassi is half Armenian.
I hope he would build a tennis court by the church
for the Armenian youth – ACYOA.
I am sure that he would substantially help
the Armenian community if he has not
already done, quietly.
I agree with you, I have no idea why Armenians have enough numbers there to merit building a church. That city is not where Armenians need to settle. Its also like a contradiction, building our church in sin city.
I believe that both Georgek and Kevork are missing the big picture.
1. It would have been great if the Genocide had not occurred, and we were still living in our homeland, but that’s not the case, so we have a diaspora, including a community in Las Vegas.
2. It would be great if Armenians repatriated to Hayastan, but instead, the opposite is true in light of the mass exodus out of Armenia.
3. It’s true that Armenia needs financial assistance from the diaspora, but a strong diaspora is valuable, perhaps critical for Armenia. A diaspora will cease to exist without churches, schools and other institutions.
4. The community of Las Vegas may be smaller than L.A., but it is surprisingly large, and may have become one of the 10 or 15 largest communities in recent years.
Bravo Andre Agassi,,