LOS ANGELES, CA—The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA WR) announced this week that the much anticipated 2015 ANCA WR Weekend will be kicked off with a dynamic 2 day program at the ANCA Grassroots Conference on Friday, October 23rd followed by the esteemed Annual Gala Banquet on Sunday, October 25th. Both events will be held at the legendary Hyatt Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, CA.

The ANCA WR biennial Grassroots conference brings together artists, academics, legal experts, and political officials with hundreds of activists from all over the world for an informative and inspirational series of lectures, workshops and seminars to explore issues related to the Armenian Cause and to develop and promote new avenues of leadership and civic engagement.

Past ANCA Grassroots Conferences included hands-on workshops on grassroots organizing, social media, fundraising, messaging and building political capital and panel discussions on such topics as film & arts; homeland-diaspora; western Armenia and transnational justice.

This year’s conference, to be held October 23-24th, will explore the issues and challenges facing the Armenian Nation post the Genocide Centennial and will bring together world-renowned experts in the fields of academia, politics, grassroots activism and the arts to begin a dialogue that will allow our community to collectively address the critical issues impacting Armenians around the world.

The Annual Gala Banquet, to be kicked off with a cocktail reception and silent auction at 4:30pm followed by dinner and a powerful program at 6:00pm, is the premier event for the ANCA-WR and the Southern California Armenian-American community, where over 1,000 activists, supporters, donors, and public officials come together to acknowledge the work of the organization and to pay homage to annual honorees whose contribution to the Armenian Cause is recognized each year.

Past honorees at this hallmark event have included former attorney general, and current California Governor, Jerry Brown; CA Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin De Leon, California State Assemblymember and Candidate for California’s 24th Congressional District Katcho Achajian, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Primate of the Diocese of Artsakh, Archbishop Parkev Martirosyan, rock band System of a Down, and legendary late coach Jerry Tarkanian.

The conference and Annual Gala Banquet are open to all interested individuals and organizations throughout the world.  As previously both events have been sold out, those interested in participating are encouraged to register early by calling 818.839.1918.

Announcements of this year’s exciting panelists and honorees forthcoming.

To obtain up to the minute updates on the 2015 ANCA Weekend, like the ANCA Western Region Facebook page at Facebook.com/ANCAWesternRegion, follow ANCA WR on Instagram or Twitter @ANCA_WR, and visit ancawr.org.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

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