Knights & Daughters of Vartan to honor Mathevosian, Toufayans

Published: Wednesday March 03, 2010

Anoush Mathevosian at the opening of the new Mathevosian School in Vanadzor, Armenia in 2002.
.

Mr. and Mrs. Harry and Suzanne Toufayan .

New York - The Mid-Atlantic Knights & Daughters of Vartan will hold their Third Annual Awards Dinner on Sunday, The Mid-Atlantic Knights & Daughters of Vartan will hold their Third Annual Awards Dinner on Saturday, March 27, 2010 under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) at Kavookjian Hall in New York with Professor Dennis Papazian, Ph.D. serving as the Master of Ceremonies and the Akh'tamar Dance Ensemble providing the evening's cultural segment.

The Lifetime Humanitarian Benefactor Award will be presented to Ms. Anoush Mathevosian and Mr. and Mrs. Harry and Suzanne Toufayan, three deserving figures in the Armenian community who have actively and continuously supported both their homeland and the Armenian Diaspora in countless ways.

Born in Egypt to the son of a baker, Mr. Toufayan, immigrated to the US in 1963 with his parents. He continued his family's baking tradition by opening up his first plant in West New York, New Jersey in 1968. In 1973, Mr. Toufayan moved operations from West New York to North Bergen, NJ where the business flourished over the next three decades.

As Toufayan Bakeries continued to expand, Mr. Toufayan once again moved his business to its current location in Ridgefield, NJ where his plant now comprises 115,000 square feet and employs 250 people. Mr. Toufayan opened two more plants in Orlando, Florida in 1985 and Plant City, Florida in 2006, which combined, employ over 500 people.

Mr. Toufayan married his wife, Suzanne, a registered nurse at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York, in 1969 at Holy Martyrs Armenian Church in Bayside, Queens. They have three children, Karen, Kristine and Gregory - who are all involved in the family business - and seven grandchildren.

Mr. and Mrs. Toufayan have been active and long-time supporters of Armenia and Armenian organizations. They funded the Youth Center in Etchmiadzin and are the benefactors of St. Haroutun Church in Orlando Florida - named after Mr. Toufayan's father - which will be completed in April 2010. They are also the major benefactors of an upcoming expansion of St. Mary Armenian Church in Livingston, NJ. The church hall at St. Mary's is named after Mr. Toufayan's parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Toufayan have also been generous supporters of the Armenian Radio Hour of New Jersey program since its inception over 30 years ago.

Ms. Anoush Mathevosian was born in Iran in 1926, the daughter of a priest, and one of eight children. She immigrated to the US for her college education and received her nursing license in New York. Ms. Mathevosian then graduated from Teacher's College at Columbia University and worked as a nurse for 16 years. In the 1960s, Ms. Mathevosian started a successful real estate business with her sister.

Over the years, she has supported Armenia in many ways.

In 1997, she funded Camp Siranoush in Yeghegnadzor for children whose parents had died in the Karabakh war.

In 2002, Ms. Mathevosian funded the building of Mathevosian School in Vanadzor, Armenia. She also started the Mathevosian Scholarship, in conjunction with the Fund for Armenian Relief, which provides scholarships to students in Armenia who want to pursue a college education.

In addition, Ms. Mathevosian has been a supporter of the Armenian-American Cultural Association and its humanitarian project in Armenia, the Armenian American Wellness Center. She has also been a trustee of the Armenian Assembly of America and Board Member of the Armenian National Institute, and a longtime supporter of the Fund for Armenian Relief.

Serving as Master of Ceremonies for the Awards Dinner will be Professor Dennis Papazian, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus and founding director of the Armenian Research Center at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. He was also the founding director of the Armenian Assembly of America and is an active member of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) where he has served as a member and officer of the Diocese Council.

Special entertainment for the evening will be provided by the Akh'tamar Dance Ensemble of St. Thomas Armenian Church in Tenafly, NJ. The group, founded in 1994 by a group of parents so their children could maintain their Armenian heritage in the United States - now consists of over 80 young Armenian boys and girls. The Akh'tamar Dance Ensemble, which has performed around the country, is under the leadership of director and choreographer Sylva Asadourian.

The 2010 Knights & Daughters of Vartan Annual Awards Dinner will be held on Saturday,, March 27, 2010 at Kavookjian Hall, 630 Second Avenue, New York, New York. Cocktail reception is at 6:30 pm followed by program and dinner at 7:30 pm. Business attire. For tickets please call Shake at (718)729-7265.