[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 166 (Monday, November 17, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2302]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      CONGRATULATING THE HOMENETMEN SCOUTS FRESNO SASSOON CHAPTER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 17, 2003

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the 
Homenetmen Scouts Fresno Sassoon Chapter on their 30th Anniversary. 
There will be a banquet held in their honor on Saturday, November 15 in 
Fresno, CA.
  In its 30th year, the Homenetmen Scouts Fresno Sassoon Chapter 
strives to encourage Fresno's Armenian youth to be involved in 
competitive sports and Armenian Boy Scouts activities, while forming an 
efficient organization that preserves the grace of Armenian language 
and culture. Since its establishment in 1973, the organization's main 
purpose has been twofold: to provide the Armenian youth with a moral 
and physical education outside of the school environment; and teaching 
them the richness of Armenian culture while accepting and participating 
in the culture that surrounds them. Comprised of disciplinary and 
athletic divisions, the Fresno Chapter boasts ten basketball teams 
spanning a variety of ages, and a strong Troop 12 Armenian Boy Scouts 
group. The Homenetmen Scouts Fresno Sassoon Chapter is part of the 
world-wide organization with over 25,000 members on five continents.
  The Armenian General Athletic Union and Scouts known as Homenetmen, 
is a nonprofit organization which was founded 85 years ago in 
Constantinople by Shavarsh Krisian, Hovhannes Hintlian, and Krikor 
Hagopian. The organization promotes a sense of fraternity and 
humanitarianism, which extends far beyond mere camaraderie and 
benevolence. Homenetmen's motto, ``Elevate yourself and others with 
you,'' is a poignant reminder of the fundamental objective to strive 
for individual and collective excellence. In the United States, the 
first Homenetmen Olympic Games took place in Brooklyn, NY, in 1922, 
though the organization was not officially established in America until 
1932 with chapters in New York, New Jersey, and Boston. From that point 
on, Homenetmen organized chapters in the communities wherever there was 
a large concentration of Armenians.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to congratulate the Homenetmen Scouts 
Fresno Sassoon Chapter on its 30th anniversary. I urge my colleagues to 
join me in wishing them many years of continued success.

                          ____________________