ENCINO, CA – October 7, 2025: The ARF Rosdom Gomideh and Armenian Cultural Foundation – San Fernando Valley Chapter West, together with local chapter organizations Homenetmen, Armenian Relief Society, Hamazkayeen, and the Armenian Youth Federation, hosted a private reception honoring Sarkis and Suzan Kitsinian and the Kitsinian Family, benefactors of the newly dedicated Armenian Cultural Foundation Sarkis & Suzan Kitsinian Youth Center in Encino.
The evening brought together community leaders and sister organizations to celebrate the Kitsinian family’s leadership, generosity, and unwavering support that culminated in establishing a permanent cultural and educational home for Armenian youth in the San Fernando Valley.
The reception came at the heels of the Kitsinian family’s contribution to the San Fernando Valley Community: a $300,000.00 donation to the Armenian Cultural Foundation towards the completion and operations of the community center.
Program Highlights
Master of Ceremonies Shant Hagopian, Esq. opened the program by reflecting on the Kitsinian family’s generational history of service and philanthropy from Lebanon to the United States, noting that their vision, commitment, and generosity represent not merely a gift, but a continuation of values passed down through faith, culture, and community – making it fitting that their name now adorns the new youth center.
Following an opening prayer led by Very Reverend Der Razmig Khachadourian, Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, a guest of the Kitsinian family, delivered the evening’s spiritual message, offering his blessings for the Youth Center and commending the ARF Rosdom Gomideh and sister organizations for their steadfast commitment to realizing this long-awaited community project. Reflecting on his long-standing relationship with the Kitsinian family and their history of benefaction within the Armenian Church, Archbishop Mardirossian spoke with special warmth about Sarkis and Suzan’s lifelong devotion to faith and community.
ARF Bureau Member Daron Der-Khachatourian highlighted the ARF’s 135-year mission of organizing and empowering youth, describing the youth center as both a renewal of that mission and a model of unity among Armenian institutions. He emphasized that investing in the diaspora strengthens Armenia and Artsakh alike, demonstrating how community building in the diaspora sustains the nation’s future. Der-Khachatourian congratulated the benefactors and the community for their collective achievement, calling the Center’s opening a hopeful beginning and a testament to the communities organized effort.
Nareg S. Kitsinian, Esq., who initiated and spearheaded an over a decade-long effort to secure the site as ANCA San Fernando Valley-West Chair (2009–2014), recounted the challenges and community effort behind transforming the former fire station into a youth center. He called the project a collective triumph with the ACF, ARF and its sister organizations and underscored that the communities success in obtaining the Center is not an ending, but a beginning where the Armenian Cultural Foundation Sarkis & Suzan Kitsinian Youth Center will thrive as a beacon of community, service, and hope, for generations to come.
Raffi Sarkissian, Chair of ARF Rosdom Gomideh and ACF-SFW, closed the evening by reflecting on his more than 35-year friendship and collaboration with Sarkis Kitsinian, recalling the shared challenges and long journey toward realizing a goal the community had pursued for decades. He officially announced the name of the center as the Armenian Cultural Foundation Sarkis & Suzan Kitsinian Youth Center noting that it stands as a symbol of shared values, unity, and perseverance.
A Lifetime of Service and Cultural Stewardship
“We were raised to live a life of duty. In the Armenian neighborhoods of Beirut, our community center was everything. It was where we first heard our language sung and spoken with pride, and where we learned that hayrenaserootyoon isn’t something you inherit – it is something you live. Supporting this Youth Center is about giving today’s youth the same compass we had, where they have a place that grounds them in identity, service, and community.”
– Sarkis & Suzan Kitsinian
Sarkis and Suzan Kitsinian have long embodied the Armenian diaspora’s highest values – service, philanthropy, and cultural preservation. Their decades of leadership span the ARF and Homenetmen where they served as Honorary Presidents of the Navasartian Games as well as the benefactors of St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church in Pasadena. Sarkis’ lifelong activism began in Beirut, where he served in the ARF, Homenetmen, and AYF, continuing in California as a member of the ARF Western U.S. Central Committee and a founding member of the Armenian Cultural Foundation.
Together, Sarkis and Suzan have dedicated their lives to youth development and cultural preservation. Their adult children, Arshavir Kitsinian, Nareg S. Kitsinian, Esq., Vanna Kitsinian Babian, Esq., and Hrag Kitsinian, Esq. continue that stewardship, each contributing through professional, civic, and community leadership. The Kitsinian family’s donation and the naming of the Youth Center reflects its belief that lasting institutions are built to serve future generations – grounding them in heritage, responsibility, and community.
The Kitsinian family’s contributions represents its dedication to the Armenian community, and the Armenian Cultural Foundation Sarkis & Suzan Kitsinian Youth Center will stand as a lasting symbol of service and unity for future generations of Armenian-Americans in the San Fernando Valley.
An official ribbon-cutting ceremony open to the community will be announced soon.
