Near East Foundation Launches Nationwide Exhibit to Commemorate 100th Anniversary of America's Response to the Armenian Genocide

NEW YORK, April 1, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Near East Foundation (NEF), a non-profit international development organization building sustainable, prosperous societies in the Middle East and Africa, announces the launch of its traveling exhibition, They Shall Not Perish: The Story of Near East Relief, in commemoration of the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and of NEF's founding. Featuring high quality reproductions of archival photographs and documents, the 27-panel exhibition chronicles the launch and legacy of NEF (formerly known as Near East Relief). As America's first collective display of humanitarian aid overseas in direct response to reports of genocidal acts against Armenians and other minorities of the Ottoman Empire, NEF's relief efforts over fifteen years raised more than $116 million and mobilized hundreds of volunteers to save more than one million lives and care for 132,000 orphans.

The exhibit premiered on March 6^th at the Los Angeles Central Public Library (L.A. Public Library) in collaboration with the Armenian National Committee of America–Western Region's (ANCA-WR) initiative, America We Thank You: An Armenian Tribute to Near East Relief.  Over 300 guests gathered for a reception on the eve of the premiere to listen to remarks given by co-sponsors, L.A. City Councilman Paul Krekorian, L.A. City Librarian John F. Szabo and representatives of the ANCA-WR and NEF.  L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti was also a co-sponsor of the event.  The L.A. Public Library is one of the largest libraries in the Western United States, hosting an average of 5,000 visitors a day.  The exhibit, which continues to generate strong public interest, will be on display at the L.A. Public Library through April 30, 2015 and then go on to other various libraries, government buildings and educational institutions in the Western United States.

NEF will continue to tour They Shall Not Perish across major U.S. cities, including Boston, Chicago, New York and San Francisco. In addition, the exhibit will be featured at the Marriot Marquis Hotel in Washington, D.C. during the commemorative events being held on May 7-9, organized by the committee for National Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide Centennial.

"This exhibition begins with a story of great sadness, but it grows to encompass stories of unparalleled courage, generosity and hope," said Molly Sullivan, director and curator of the Near East Relief Historical Society, an educational initiative launched by NEF in 2014.

"Commemorating the Armenian Genocide begins with honoring the memories and stories of the survivors and the heroic American men and women who answered the call to action. NEF is proud to be able to share some of these through our traveling exhibit. This is the first time that Americans responded on this scale to a humanitarian crisis abroad. The experience and the spirit of 1915 has since become a cornerstone of our humanitarian impulse as individuals and as a nation," said Charles Benjamin, president of the Near East Foundation.

In April, NEF will also launch the Near East Relief Online Museum, which will digitize and feature collections of photographs, letters, journal entries and more to serve as a resource for scholars, students and anyone with an interest in this critical period in American philanthropic history. NEF has partnered with the Genocide Education Project and the Armenian Cultural Association of America to produce an educational curriculum, which provides high school teachers with a companion lesson guide on the Near East Relief and America's humanitarian response to the Armenian Genocide.

"This year marks a major milestone in the timeline of international humanitarian aid. It all began one century ago with Near East Relief," said Shant Mardirossian, chairman of NEF. "We honor its legacy through the work we do today." 

For more information and to obtain a digital version of the exhibition for display in your local venue, please contact director and curator of the Near East Relief Historical Society, Molly Sullivan at [email protected] or (347) 915-3016.

Near East Foundation

Based in Syracuse, New York, the Near East Foundation is a non-profit international development organization that works to build inclusive, prosperous and sustainable societies in the Middle East and northern Africa by providing vulnerable and disenfranchised people with skills, training and resources to fully engage and prosper in their own communities and economies.

NEF began in 1915 when a group of American political, business and philanthropic leaders came together to provide critical relief to those affected by the Armenian Genocide. As the first mass American movement to send humanitarian aid overseas, NEF has since defined the American tradition of international relief and development.

NEF celebrates its Centennial this year and continues to lead programs that strengthen resilience and create economic opportunity through small business creation, agricultural development, peacebuilding, and civic engagement, working together with community leaders and local partners.

To learn more about NEF's projects, please visit www.neareast.org.

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SOURCE Near East Foundation