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History The A.W.W.A. story begins in 1915 in Boston, Massachusetts. Nine first generation Armenian women came together to form a non-profit women's service organization that would focus on aiding and promoting the moral, intellectual, physical and social well-being of the Armenian people. Initially named the Armenian Patriotic Society, the women began aiding Armenian orphans through Near East Relief and shipping clothing and supplies overseas. Through collaboration with other organizations, the Society supported the educational pursuits of homeless children in the Near East and helped immigrants to the US adjust to their new surroundings. By 1930, the Great Depression demanded that the organization refocus its energies locally. Having renamed and incorporated itself as the Armenian Women's Welfare Association, the group provided fuel, clothing, and other necessities to the Armenian community. Witnessing the growing needs of its own people, the A.W.W.A. set out to establish a home for the aged in 1934 and began various fundraising efforts to raise money for the purchase of property. In 1948, after 14 years in pursuit of its goal, the A.W.W.A. founded the first Home for the Aged in Jamaica Plain. In 1960, the A.W.W.A. built the Armenian Nursing Home, a full-care nursing facility, on the same property. The home began providing rehabilitative care in response to the needs of the community and was renamed the Armenian Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in 1996. The A.W.W.A. continues to expand its mission of caring by underwriting the Elderly Project in Nagorno-Karabagh and by contributing to projects affecting the well-being of the Armenian community at large. It recently completed a needs assessment and feasibility study and is currently looking for land to build a new, state-of-the-art nursing home and eventually a continuum of care for the Armenian community. |
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