Washington, DC - Last month, the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) participated as a full partner in the Marshall Legacy Institute's (MLI) 13th Annual Gala, where Assembly Board Member Annie Totah served as a Gala Benefactor. Held at the Fairmont Hotel in Georgetown, Totah, along with Assembly Grassroots Director Taniel Koushakjian, were on hand to represent the Assembly and meet with officers, supporters and activists from the Marshall Legacy Institute's K9 Demining Corps Campaign. Republic of Armenia's Deputy Chief of Mission Varuzhan Nersessian and Kathryn Cameron Porter, founder and president of Leadership Council for Human Rights, also participated with the Assembly. "We at the Assembly are proud to continue to be a part of the Marshall Legacy Institute's demining project which helps bring about a safer and better future for the people of Armenia and other war-torn and land-mine affected countries," stated Assembly Board Member Annie Totah. MLI is a non-profit, humanitarian organization founded in 1997 on the 50th Anniversary Year of the Marshall Plan. MLI works to continue the legacy of U.S. statesman George C. Marshall into the 21st century by providing war-torn, landmine-affected countries with the tools and training they need to help rebuild. MLI's K9 Demining Corps Campaign seeks to improve the quantity and quality of mine detection dogs (MDDs) in countries all over the world. As one of the first participants of MLI's K9 Demining Corps Campaign, the Assembly sponsored six MDDs for Armenia in 2002. The accomplishments of the MDDs sponsored by the Assembly include clearing landmine areas in Armenia along its border with Azerbaijan that is today used for farming, grazing, and other agricultural applications, as well as transportation and infrastructure projects. The Assembly and MLI recognize that MDDs are a crucial component of mine deactivation programs because of their incredible sense of smell that allows them to efficiently and effectively "sniff out" the explosive odors indicative of the presence of landmines. Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

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