The 6^th Bridge to the Future “Victory Gala” was held on October 27, 2018 at the Sheraton Hotel & Marina Bay Tower with more than 230 guests in attendance. 

The highly entertaining event was St. John Garabed Armenian Church's most successful gala ever, raising $260,000 to construct a state-of-the-art church campus near Del Mar that will become the new spiritual and cultural home for the Armenian community of San Diego and beyond.

Longtime San Diego broadcaster Pierre Charmasson charmed the audience of dignitaries and patrons from across Southern California and also served as auctioneer for several choice live auction items, as well as a memorable Raise the Paddle that saw leadership gifts of $100,000 from the Minassian Family, and $25,000 from the Kalemkiarian Family, and many more.

The Gala invocation was presented by St. John's parish priest, The Very Rev. Fr. Pakrad Berjekian, and Gala Co-Chairs Mrs. Kathy Kassardjian and Dr. Anna Khachatrian Kulidjian warmly welcomed the audience.

"Tonight, we celebrate the victory of crossing the Bridge to the Future. We are excited to start building the first phase in the life of our new church campus for The New Generation," said Kassardjian.

The Chef's Appetizer Affair during the cocktail reception included signature delicacies from Parc Bistro-Brasserie, Amardeen Lebanese and Mediterranean Cuisine, Meze Greek Fusion, and Havana 1920 Cuban Cuisine. Guests were also treated to a gourmet dinner with fine Armenian wines donated by Rosemarie and Paul Kalemkiarian.

The Victory Gala also featured a remarkable dance performance by Youri Dance Company. Armenian multi-genre singer MANE and the band Project M kept the audience on the dance floor for memorable Armenian and American selections.

The St. John Garabed Armenian Church Building Committee organized the event under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, who sent a special video message to the gathering. Local Armenian youth Erik Amirkhanyan also screened a video about the past, present and future of the Armenian church community in San Diego.

Event proceeds will go toward the $2 million needed for the first phase of building our new church and hall near Del Mar, California. 

For more information or giving opportunities, visit www.stjohngarabed.org or stjohngarabedsd@gmail.com. Also look for “Bridge to the Future” on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BridgetotheFutureSD/ or @BridgetotheFutureSD

Donations can be mailed to:

St. John Garabed Armenian Church Building Committee                                                            

4473 30^th St.                                                                                                                                                      

San Diego, CA 92116                                                                                                                   

(619) 284-7179

or contact Viviane Hagopian: (619) 884-8983, vivianehagopian2014@gmail.com